The H1N1 influenza virus has added a note of urgency to the need to understand the ADA’s privacy requirements. Although some of the rules are relaxed in emergencies, employers that use confidential medical information to discriminate against workers will have to answer in court for their actions.
Don’t depend on comprehensive health care reform to significantly cut the cost of the health insurance benefits you provide to employees. Many of America’s best companies have found that a few best practices do a remarkably good job of improving employee health and controlling health care expenses. Here are some of the best practices in health benefits used by America’s best employers.
The morning after election day 2009 was probably not a particularly fun one in the White House. As noted in a first rate summary by John F. Harris and Jonathan Martin in Politico, the outcomes of the Virginia and New Jersey gubernatorial races and even the New York City’s mayor race didn’t really go the President’s way. As an historical analysis by Ruth Marcus in the Washington Post points out, it’s important to not over interpret the results, but one thing about the 2009 election results does seem clear. Voters who identify themselves as independents are looking for leaders who seem to address the issues that are most important to them.
As an example, since I live in Virginia, I had a pretty direct line of sight into the governor’s race here. The winner, Bob McDonnell, ran a very effective straight down the middle campaign centered on jobs, transportation, taxes and government spending. His opponent, Creigh Deeds, seemed to never get any traction on explaining exactly what his priorities would be if he was governor. (See Dan Balz's post election analysis in the Washington Post for more on this.)
In connecting the dots on the different races, I find myself looking for some common denominator lessons we can learn about effective leadership communications. After all, that’s what a campaign is ultimately about. In reviewing this week’s results, I’ve come up with four questions that I think leaders need to address either implicitly or explicitly if they hope to win over their followers. These strike me as important questions for any leader – not just political candidates – to address when they’re attempting to mobilize people in a challenging situation. Here are the questions:
The annual limit for dependent care expenses in flexible spending accounts (FSAs) has remained at $5,000 since the accounts were authorized back in 1986. Now momentum is building in Congress for an increase.
A new federal law takes effect Nov. 8 that extends eligibility for group health insurance coverage to some dependent children age 18 or older who are higher-education students.
Imagine this nightmare scenario: You’ve contracted with a vendor to enter personnel data into a new computer system, including employees' Social Security numbers, addresses, names of dependents, health records and bank account routing numbers. Then the vendor notifies you that employee data was somehow stolen or lost. What do you do?
The Mental Health Parity and Addiction Equity Act of 2008, which takes effect Oct. 3, has more employers worried about rising health insurance premiums—and looking to employee assistance programs as a way to keep costs down. The law prohibits group health plans covering 50 or more employees from imposing extraordinary coverage caps on mental health and substance abuse treatment.
Employers now have an answer to their single biggest and most vexing question about the elaborate new federal subsidy arrangement under COBRA, but it may not be the answer they were hoping for or expecting.
If an elderly parent or in-law is having trouble making ends meet, you might help him or her pay the rent or other expenses. In return, Grandma or Grandpa may gladly volunteer to watch your children while you and your spouse work. Unfortunately, you probably can’t claim a dependency exemption for this trade-off, but you still can reap a big tax benefit from the arrangement.
Nobody’s perfect, but any mistakes you make on your tax return can come back to haunt you in penalties, interest and missed opportunities. What are the 10 most common errors? Here’s what the tax pros say.
The U.S. Treasury Department and the Internal Revenue Service recently issued a notice providing additional guidance on Health Savings Accounts. Some of the rules will have an impact on administering these accounts, so HR professionals with benefits administration responsibilities need to be aware of the key highlights.
At least 30 states require organizations that offer health benefits to employees’ dependents to include children up to age 30—and the number is growing. They are reacting to the growing number of young adults who do not have health insurance.
It costs five times more to insure an employee who has cancer than one who doesn’t, a recent survey revealed. But it could cost your organization as little as $2.95 per employee, per month to cover the costs of early detection. Here is what your organization can do to help prevent cancer among your employees and lower the medical and lost-productivity costs associated with the disease ...
Q. Currently, we offer our employee assistance program (EAP) to those who elect COBRA coverage. But are we required by law to offer the EAP to COBRA participants? This is the first time I’ve seen a company offer an EAP through COBRA. Participants pay $3.08 plus a 2% administrative fee if they elect.
When it comes to effectively communicating benefits messages, one size does not fit all. Employees have different benefits needs at different stages of their lives. Make sure your print and web-based benefits communications efforts take those differences into account ...
It's possible for an organization to keep or even add employee benefits while tightening its belt and saying no to labor-intensive new products. How? Offer more voluntary benefits, which require little to no administration by HR and are paid for entirely by employees who choose to accept them ...
November’s election has special implications for Colorado employers because a number of ballot issues involve employment law. The ballot features dueling initiatives: four measures brought by organized labor in response to three measures sponsored by business interests ...
Question: “We’re working with our insurance broker to figure out how
we can continue to offer good benefits without raising our costs. She suggested
increasing the amount employees contribute for health insurance. I’m sure we’ll
face resistance, but it looks like that may be our only option. Who else has
faced this dilemma? How much did you hike employee contributions? How did you
sell it to employees? Are there other options to consider?”—Jim, SoCal
Since it is clear that better health translates into lower health care costs, employers increasingly embrace the concept of financial incentives to persuade employees to make healthier lifestyle choices. Thus the rise of wellness programs—a great idea, but one that can run afoul of the federal Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) ...
It may be tempting to refuse to hire an applicant who could raise your health insurance costs. By the same token, it may seem like a good idea to terminate employees who keep filing expensive health insurance claims for themselves or their dependents. Don’t do it! The penalties for such discrimination can be high ...
Two significant tax-law changes are set to collide in 2008: the higher age limits for the “kiddie tax”and the zero percent tax rate for low-bracket sellers of capital assets. But you don’t have to run and take cover.
Does your S corporation directly pay for or reimburse you for your health insurance premiums? In 2006, the IRS indicated on its web site that you can’t deduct such costs “above-the-line” if the health insurance is purchased in your own name.
Starting in 2008, Tribune Co., owner of the Chicago Tribune, began applying a monthly surcharge of $100 to the family health insurance premiums of workers who use tobacco or whose insured dependents do. Employees who kick the habit through the company’s smoking cessation program lose the surcharge ...
The maximum tax rate for long-term capital gains in 2007 is only 15 percent for high-income taxpayers. Even better, the rate is a minuscule 5 percent for some lower-income taxpayers. But how low can you go if you really try?
With the end of daylight-saving time and the beginning of the holiday season comes another annual ritual—open enrollment and next year’s health insurance premium notice. Try these three tips to keep health insurance costs down.
Employers are looking for ways to cut health care costs, which continue to rise each year. One of the easiest ways to trim that expensive bill: Make sure each employee’s dependents are actually eligible for coverage. Here's how to conduct an eligibility audit.
North Carolina’s minimum wage is $6.15 per hour, compared to the current federal minimum wage of $5.85 per hour.However, barring action by the state legislature, the federal minimum wage will overtake North Carolina’s minimum wage next year ...
Caterpillar Inc. has filed lawsuits to force the United Auto Workers (UAW) to pay for health care for retirees as agreed in union-negotiated contracts. Caterpillar says the UAW is backing two class-action lawsuits seeking free lifetime coverage for retirees and spouses, which the company says violates collective-bargaining agreements ...
Even if you ban smoking at work, nicotine-addicted employees will still manage to find a place to light up. And trying to hire only nonsmokers could create legal troubles. So what’s the best way to cut your high health costs related to smokers? Actively help them quit ...
By now, your supervisors know it's illegal to discriminate against someone because of his or her disability. But do they also know about a less obvious part of the ADA that makes it illegal to discriminate against people because they have an association with a person who has a disability? ...
Health insurers make a surprising number of errors on claims, which can drive up your organization's premiums and claims costs. Act now to identify money-wasting holes in your health plan with a full audit or a simpler checkup ...
Court rulings periodically alter your responsibilities in offering COBRA continuing health coverage. Keeping abreast of those changes helps you stay in compliance and out of court ...
If you're not doing so already, take steps to discourage employees and dependents from holding duplicate health coverage. Example: Ford Motor Co. now requires employees to pay extra toward their health premiums if their covered spouses have duplicate health coverage ...
HR Law 101: Under the Consolidated Omnibus Budget Reconciliation Act (COBRA) of 1985, employers are required to continue offering health insurance benefits to employees and their covered dependents for a specified period after they leave the organization ...
HR Law 101: The Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) of 1996 made changes to three areas of the continuing-coverage rules that apply to group health plans under COBRA ...
HR Law 101: Workers' compensation insurance provides compensation to employees who are injured or disabled on the job. It pays for medical treatment, loss of wages during a period of disability and compensation for permanent disability or disfigurement ...
Q. We have several employees out on workers' comp claims. Our policy is to pay for the employee but not dependents. How can we terminate the group insurance for employees who are out on workers' comp for more than three months? —M.O., Washington
The top three New Year’s resolutions for people: 1. Strike a better balance between work and home life. 2. Exercise more. 3. Avoid bad relationships. Your organization can’t help workers avoid disastrous dates, but it can help with the first two items ...
Ohio’s unemployment compensation system, like that of many other states, provides temporary payments to employees who lose their jobs through no fault of their own. The law is complex and in some cases holds an employer liable for unemployment insurance (UI) payments even when a former employee wasn’t fired but quit ...
The Illinois Unemployment Insurance Act, like that of many other states, provides temporary payments to employees who lose their jobs through no fault of their own. The law is complex and, in some cases, holds an employer liable for unemployment insurance (UI) payments even when a former employee wasn’t fired but quit ...
The Michigan Employment Security Act governs the state’s unemployment compensation program. As in many other states, the law provides temporary payments to employees who lose their jobs through no fault of their own. The law is complex and in some cases holds an employer liable for unemployment insurance (UI) payments even when a former employee wasn’t fired but quit ...
As a mover and a shaker at your company, you’re doing yourself a disservice if you don’t try to latch onto every perk that comes your way. Why? Because a tax-free benefit can be more valuable than a raise in salary.
Self-employed people can now deduct 100 percent of their health insurance expenses. But you can still do better tax-wise if you don’t pay for your own coverage.
As a small business owner, you generally can deduct 100 percent of your family’s medical insurance costs even if you’re self-employed. But you can do better tax wise by taking an unusual approach.
As a small business owner, you generally can deduct 100 percent of your family’s medical insurance costs even if you’re self-employed. But you can do better taxwise by taking an unusual approach.
Higher-income families who filed for an extension on their individual returns may still be able to slip through a newly discovered, unintended tax loophole to trim even more taxes. (Or, if the extra tax savings are worth it, you may want to file an amended return to secure those savings.)
If you’re like most U.S. employers, you probably overpay some health care claims and provide coverage to employees or dependents who shouldn’t receive it. That’s because health insurers make more processing and payment errors than you’d expect.
Don’t close the books on the 2005 tax year just yet. Higher-income families who filed for an extension on their individual returns may still be able to slip through a newly discovered, unintended tax loophole to trim even more taxes.
The IRS tinkers with Form 1040 every
year, and this year is no exception. In fact, your 2005 tax return
reflects new tax-law definitions and rules, annual inflation
adjustments to tax thresholds and various tax breaks for hurricane
relief, just to name a few changes. Here’s the skinny on the biggest
changes this year on a line-for-line basis.
It’s too late to do anything about the amount you’ll owe on your 2005 tax return … right? Wrong! You can still slash your tax bill by zeroing in on tax breaks that usually fall by the wayside if you’re operating on cruise control.
If one of your parents or in-laws is suffering a financial pinch, you might chip in with part of the rent or some other expense. In return, grandma or grandpa happily volunteers to watch your children after school while you work. Unfortunately, you can’t claim a dependency exemption for this trade-off if your relative’s earnings rise above the gross-income test for dependents.
For too many people, the tax season is a February-to-April affair. But trying to plan your tax strategies after Dec. 31 is as futile as a football team drawing up its game plan with two minutes left in the fourth quarter: You can't do much to affect the score.
With precious little fanfare, the Working Families Tax Relief Act of 2004 revamped the rules for dependency exemptions. It created a uniform definition of "child" and relaxed the requirements for certain taxpayers. But the old rules still apply in some situations, resulting in even greater confusion for taxpayers. Here's a quick primer on the old rules, plus how you can take advantage of the new rules.
Maybe you’d prefer not to compete, compete, compete. That’s what
Alexandra McGilloway decided, so her business model is based on
collaboration and complementary products rather than competition. In 14 years, East West has become the largest spiritual bookstore in
the Northwest. Last year, it took in $1.7 million, about 5 percent more
than in 2003.
Issue: The CEO is looking over HR's shoulder, expecting you to find the magic bullet to reduce health-insurance costs. Benefit: Saving the organization money ...
Is your health plan covering employees' adult children, ex-spouses or other relatives? If you don't know the answer, it may be time for a health plan "participant audit" to help weed ...
With the economy picking up, applicants can be choosier when shopping for a new job. That's means they'll more closely examine your benefits package when considering whether to join your team.
For many U.S. taxpayers, "March Mad-ness" has nothing to do with college basketball. It's all about dashing around gathering receipts, filling out forms, meeting with your tax guru and hoping you'll emerge victorious in the 1040 game.
C corporations offer better tax treatment for fringe benefits than S corporations. But don't avoid an S corporation election simply because of fringe benefits.
To the cheers of small business owners, Congress this month created Health Savings Accounts (HSAs), as described on page 1. That adds a new acronym to the already confusing tangle of tax-advantaged health care spending, which includes FSAs, MSAs, HRAs and more.
In the past, thieves stole a person's identity mostly by snatching a wallet, intercepting mail or digging through garbage to find identifying data. Not anymore. Now, ...
THE LAW. The federal Consolidated Omnibus Budget Reconciliation Act (COBRA) of 1985 requires companies with group health plans to continue offering health insurance benefits to employees and their dependents for a ...
