Benefit Beat - 2011 through current

January 09, 2025Maine Paid Family Leave – Payroll Deductions and Final Regulations

Employers must start withholding premium contributions from employees for the paid family and medical leave program beginning January 1, 2025.

Beginning January 1, 2025, private-sector employers, regardless of size, shall provide pregnant employees up to 20 hours of paid leave in any 52-week period to attend prenatal medical appointments and procedures.

January 09, 2025Illinois Consumer Disclosure Notice

Under the Consumer Coverage Disclosure Act, an employer employing individuals in Illinois must annually provide its employee a document comparing the Illinois essential health benefits with the benefits offered under its plan.

As a reminder, Section 1557 of the Affordable Care Act (ACA) requires covered entities to post notices of non-discrimination and availability of language assistance services.

On December 27, 2024, the Departments of Health and Human Services (HHS), the Department of Labor (DOL), and the Department of the Treasury (Treasury) (collectively, Departments) made updates to the No Surprises Act (NSA) website, reflecting revised certified Independent Dispute Resolution (IDR) entity fees.

In an effort to address the increasing breaches of electronic protected health information (ePHI), the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) and the Office for Civil Rights (OCR) have issued a Notice of Proposed Rulemaking (NPRM) to amend the HIPAA Security Rule.

January 09, 2025Parity Compliance Time is Now

Now that the calendar has turned over to 2025, it is very important that plan sponsors ensure compliance with the Mental health Parity Regulations issued in September 2024.

January 09, 2025Telehealth HSA Compatibility in Limbo

Employers sponsoring HSA compatible high-deductible health plans have been anxiously awaiting a determination about whether a plan will be able to continue to cover remote services prior to satisfaction of the HSA minimum statutory deductible.

January 09, 2025ACA Reporting Simplified

On December 23, 2024, President Biden signed both the Employer Reporting Improvement Act and the Paperwork Reduction Act into law.

December 03, 2024Pay Transparency Comes to New Jersey

On November 18, 2024, New Jersey Governor Phil Murphy signed pay transparency legislation that will require employers, beginning in June 2025, to disclose compensation and benefits in job postings.

Individuals employed in New Jersey may be entitled to temporary benefits for a disability caused by non-occupational sickness or accident and may also be eligible for family leave for baby bonding or care for a family member.

The Department of Paid Family and Medical Leave released the contribution rate and weekly benefit amount for the paid family and medical leave law beginning January 1, 2025, see November Benefit Beat article here.

December 03, 2024Informational Copies of Form 5500

The federal government has made informational copies of the 2024 Form 5500 available, more information can be found here.

December 03, 20245500 and 5558 Filing Mechanics

Beginning January 1, 2025, Form 5558 can be filed electronically through EFAST2 or filed with the IRS using a paper form.

HSA account holders use the Form 8889 to report contributions, including contributions made by the HSA account holder’s employer, as well as distributions from the HSA that occur during the tax year.