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Insurance

Do I now have to provide long-term care insurance to my employees’ same-sex domestic partners?

07/09/2010
Q. I recently heard that same-sex domestic partners of employees are now eligible for the long-term care insurance. Is that true?

Feds clarify tax status of dependent coverage

07/09/2010
The IRS has clarified that, under the new health care reform law, coverage provided for employees’ children under age 27 is tax-free to the employee. That means employers with cafeteria plans may permit employees to immediately make pretax salary-reduction contributions to provide coverage for children under age 27.

New anti-drug initiative could reduce your WC premiums

07/08/2010
A new drug-abuse prevention program promises significant savings on workers’ compensation premiums for Ohio employers that agree to participate in it. The Ohio Bureau of Workers’ Compensation’s Drug-Free Safety Program allows Ohio employers to opt into the program—which requires drug and alcohol education, testing and accident reporting—in exchange for discounts on workers’ comp insurance.

Use 3 strategies to cut health care costs

07/08/2010
“Now is the time for all of you with plan-year start dates on or near Jan. 1 to start thinking about ways to control health plan costs,” says insurance expert Nancy L. Newell. Lowering employers’ health insurance burden requires balancing three strategies: shifting more costs to employees, implementing cost savings and making plan changes.

Shopping for employee-lawsuit insurance: 6 questions to ask

07/01/2010
Employment practice liability insurance (EPLI) covers you from employee lawsuit judgments. The jump in employee lawsuits is making EPLI a nearly must-have; so premiums are rising. Here’s how to shop for a policy …

4 key trends transforming employee assistance programs

06/29/2010

Employee assistance programs are on the rise as employers cope with higher health care costs—and employees cope with the stresses of an uncertain economy. An expert says four trends will drive EAP change in coming months, bringing cost savings for companies and better care for workers.

How quickly must we announce health plan changes?

06/29/2010
Q. When we make changes to our medical plan, how long do we have to get the new summary plan out to employees?

Tax credit helps small employers pay for health care

06/23/2010
The IRS has issued preliminary guidelines on the tax credit available to small employers that provide health insurance benefits to employees. Included in the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act, the credit is one of the first health care reform provisions to go into effect. The credit is designed to encourage small employers to offer health insurance coverage for the first time or maintain coverage they already have.

Concern building over tax on ‘Cadillac’ health plans

06/18/2010

As a way to pay for the new health care reforms, a new excise tax on “high cost” health care plans is set to kick in Jan. 1, 2018. The tax will be 40% of a health plan’s annual costs that exceeds a certain threshold: $10,200 for individual coverage and $27,500 for family coverage.

The HR I.Q. Test: June ’10

06/16/2010
Test your knowledge of recent trends in employment law, comp & benefits and other HR issues with our monthly mini-quiz …