ERC Retail

Here is the latest edition of our monthly newsletter. Our newsletter is designed to keep you up to date on the lastest Health Insurance news and industry trends.

News

CHIPRA Notice for all employers

All employers must read attached file regarding CHIPRA and your responsibilities.

CHIPRA: How It Affects Your Group Health Plan
Society for Human Resource Management (SHRM)

On Feb. 4, 2009, the Children’s Health Insurance Program Reauthorization Act (CHIPRA) was signed into law by President Obama. CHIPRA allows states to subsidize premiums for employer-provided group health coverage for eligible children, but it also imposes certain requirements on plan sponsors:

Summary of Key COBRA Provisions in the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (H.R. 1)
American Benefits Council

The following is an outline of the key COBRA provisions included in the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act

COBRA Coverage Expansion: HR Action Steps to Take Now
Society for Human Resource Management (SHRM)

The American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 (ARRA), the financial stimulus law signed by President Barack Obama on Feb. 17, 2009, includes significant changes to the COBRA continuation coverage rules.

IRS Releases COBRA Guidance
National Underwriter Company
Allison Bell

The Internal Revenue Service has posted a collection of answers to frequently asked questions about the new health benefits continuation subsidy, and the U.S. Labor Department has put more subsidy information on its Web site.

EBSA Starts To Implement ARRA
National Underwriter Company
Allison Bell

The Employee Benefits Security Administration has set up a Web site to help employers comply with the new American Recovery and Reinvestment Act.

Guidance, Clarification Needed for Genetic Bias Law
Society for Human Resource Management (SHRM)

The Society for Human Resource Management (SHRM) wants the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission to provide employers with guidance and clarification regarding a federal law on acquisition of genetic information of employees and their dependents.

Layoffs Could Trigger COBRA Cash Crunch
CFO.com

Companies that have laid off workers in the past several months as a way to retain more cash may, paradoxically, suffer a near-term cash drain as a direct result of the layoffs.

More Than Half of Americans Say Family Skimped On Medical Care Because of Cost in Past Year: Worries About Affordability and Availability of Care Rise.
Kaiser Family Foundation

As economic conditions continue to worsen, the public is increasingly worried about the affordability and availability of care, with many postponing or skipping treatments due to cost in the past year and a notable minority forced into serious financial straits due to medical bills, according to the Kaiser Family Foundation’s first health care tracking poll of 2009.

Benefits

Employee Weight Loss Programs Offered By Half of Employers Who Provide Wellness Programs
International Foundation

Watching your weight? So is your employer. A recent survey conducted by the International Foundation of Employee Benefits Plans found that of those organizations that offer wellness programs, 49% offer a weight loss program.

Voluntary Benefits Help Bridge Employers’ Coverage Gaps
National Underwriter Company

Voluntary benefits have evolved over time to become part of almost every company’s benefit program, regardless of its size.

FMLA Obligations
Human Resource Executive Online

In this second column on the Family and Medical Leave Act, questions this month address an employee's right to have the same job after returning from FMLA leave as well as some of the complexities dealing with intermittent leave.