Category Archives: Legal Matters
National Malpractice Reform Equals Lower Health Care Costs
One of the first bills of the legislative season, H.R. 5 (The “HEALTH Act” – Help Efficient, Accessible, Low-cost, Timely Healthcare of 2011) has been introduced (January 29). I know that many attorneys will be up in arms at the thought of anything that restricts their ability to sue, but this appears to be a [...]
Sick Time: The "Ferris Bueller Syndrome
Despite the difficulty of finding a job if unemployed, more and more Americans are risking termination by playing hooky. Corporations are clamping down — and even hiring detectives. Kronos, a time clock manufacturer and workforce productivity firm in Chelmsford, Mass., recently reported that 57 percent of U.S. salaried employees take sick days when they’re not [...]
Small Business Health Care Tax Credit: New IRS Guidelines
In late December the IRS issued more guidelines on the Small Business Health Care Tax Credit. Beginning with the 2010 taxable year, eligible small employers that offer health insurance coverage to their employees may qualify for a tax credit of up to 35% of the non-elective contributions they, the employer, make toward premium cost. The [...]
New Rules on Paying for Over-the-Counter Medications
The IRS near the end of the year released Notice 2010-59. It sets out the guidelines for implementing the new Section 125, Medical Reimbursement and HRA standards for reimbursing for OTC medications. The Notice specifies that an employer-sponsored health plan may only reimburse a claim for a medicine or drug if it: Requires a prescription, [...]
Unconstitutional: Hope for America
A Federal Court judge ruled Obamacare unconstitutional yesterday. Hallelujah!! I’m not against solving our health care problems, but this bill was a classic example of legislative overreach. Yesterday’s ruling doesn’t make the law illegal; rather, it keeps Obama and the central planning gang on the defensive… and that’s a good thing. It also adds fuel [...]
Obamacare: Back Door to Socialized Medicine
The PPACA (Patient Protection and Care Act, aka Obamacare) has many, many failings, but the President touts that fact that it accomodates the private sector’s current health plans. Hogwash. It is a stealth socialization of medicine. Why is that? Simple: it subsidizes employees to buy via a health exchange, and the penalty for an employer [...]
The Inherent Stupidity of Bureaucrats
This is logical only in the not-real world… Denture wearers will get a tax break on the cost of adhesives to keep their false teeth in place. So will acne sufferers who buy pimple creams. People whose children have severe allergies might even be allowed the break for replacing grass with artificial turf since it [...]
2011 Health Care Reform Checklist
Thompson Line has published a summary of what you need to do to make sure your plan is ready for 1/1/11. Their report is complete, but here’s a summary of what employers with Massachusetts fully insured plans should do. Finalize health plan design and cost calculations and complete analysis regarding whether any design, carrier and/or [...]
Miscellaneous Benefit Notes – PPACA, Obamacare
Here are some mini-items that may be of interest to you: Taxation of Employee’s Domestic Partner’s Health Care As reported in EBIA, both the FICA and FUTA regulations say that an employee’s dependents “include the employee’s husband or wife, children, and any other members of the employee’s immediate family.” According to the CCA (IRS – [...]
Health Care Costs to Increase Under Obamacare
Spending rules on insurance to be issued by the Obama administration have already prompted a wave of insurers to ask for exemptions and threatened that some insurers “may abandon some markets,” state insurance commissioners are warning, according to Bloomberg. “The rule, part of the new health law, mandates that UnitedHealth Group Inc., WellPoint Inc. and [...]