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April 12, 2018 in PA
PEBA [Penjerdel Employee Benefits and Compensation Association]

What Do I Do Now? Responding to Today's Most Significant Employee Benefits Changes
April 26, 2018 WEBCAST
ALI-ABA [American Law Institute-American Bar Association]

Health Care Management Conference
April 30, 2018 in CO
International Foundation of Employee Benefit Plans [IFEBP]

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Ohio Requiring Prescription Drug Transparency for Consumers
"[ Bulletin 2018-02 ] requires insurers and pharmacy benefit managers (PBMs) to remove the 'gag order' that prevents disclosing to consumers the most affordable prescription drug option available to them. Currently, some insurers and PBMs use contractual provisions to prevent pharmacists from discussing with consumers if other options are available to purchase their prescriptions at a lower cost. This bulletin would prohibit that practice."
Ohio Department of Insurance

Develop skills, knowledge and expertise with ECFC's certification program

Flexible compensation is constantly evolving as new regulations, laws, and interpretations affect the discipline. Become a leader and take the steps to become certified as a Flexible Compensation Specialist.

Clinical Reviews of Pharmacy Meds Can Help Reign in Cost
"Clinician-consultants will review overall pharmacy benefits claims filed and utilization to see which drugs are being filled -- and, importantly, what is being filled unnecessarily. During clinical reviews, consultants will look for certain high-cost specialty drugs or brand-name drugs prescribed when there is a much lower-cost alternative, and flag them. Then, they'll present the drug list to the employer and discuss the pros and cons of changing the Rx formulary to save money."
Corporate Synergies

District Court Blocks Enforcement of Obama-Era Contraceptives Rules Against Nonprofit Entities
"[T]he court concluded that the nonprofit entities were ... [n]ot subject to any fines, already accrued or imposed in the future, for noncompliance with the mandate. The court also held that the plaintiffs ... were entitled to a permanent injunction.... The injunctive relief ... is more narrow than recent rulings involving the Trump administration's 2017 regulations, but nonetheless reflects the ongoing volatility concerning enforcement of the ACA's contraceptives mandate." [ Sharpe Holdings, Inc. v. HHS , No. 12-092 (E.D. Mo. Mar. 28, 2018)]
Thomson Reuters Practical Law

Texas Court Holds Attendance Issues Can Preclude Disability Claims
"The court held that the plaintiff had failed to establish a prima face case under the ADA because her excessive absenteeism and tardiness prevented her from being qualified to perform her job. Additionally, temporal proximity between the plaintiff's use of FMLA leave and her discharge was insufficient to establish a prima facie case of retaliation." [ Wolf v. Lowe's Companies, Inc. , No. 16-1560 (S.D. Tex. Mar. 13, 2018)]
Ogletree Deakins

Paid Family Leave in the United States (PDF)
16 pages. "According to a national survey of employers conducted by the Bureau of Labor Statistics, 13% of private-industry employees had access to [paid family leave] through their employers in March 2017.... [S]ome states have enacted legislation to create state paid family leave insurance (FLI) programs, which provide cash benefits to eligible workers who engage in certain caregiving activities." [Report R44835, Mar. 20, 2018]
Congressional Research Service [CRS]

Employer Health Care Cost & Quality Congress | Washington DC

4/29-5/2/2018 in Washington DC. This event brings together Employers, Brokers, and TPAs. Qualified HR & Benefits Professionals may attend as our guest - See website for details/restrictions & to apply.

Medicare Advantage Plans Cleared to Go Beyond Medical Coverage -- Even Groceries
"(CMS) expanded how it defines the 'primarily health-related' benefits that insurers are allowed to include in their Medicare Advantage policies. And insurers would include these extras on top of providing the benefits traditional Medicare offers.... CMS said the insurers will be permitted to provide care and devices that prevent or treat illness or injuries, compensate for physical impairments, address the psychological effects of illness or injuries, or reduce emergency medical care."
Kaiser Health News

Blockchain for Healthcare
"Given the decentralized, distributed nature of blockchain, HIPPA issues will need to be carefully considered. One of the benefits of many blockchains is that the transaction data is replicated to multiple nodes. This can create issues for protected information. This suggests that some form of private blockchain may be better suited for patient health records, perhaps combined with separating and encrypting personal health information."
Sheppard Mullin

CMS Data Confirms Stable Marketplace Enrollment for 2018
"[A]bout 11.8 million consumers in all 50 states and Washington, D.C. selected or were automatically reenrolled in marketplace plans during the 2018 open enrollment period.... [T]his is only about 4 percent lower than the estimated 12.2 million consumers that selected a plan in 2017, meaning enrollment remained largely stable despite a shortened open enrollment period and significant cuts to advertising and navigator funding."
Katie Keith, in Health Affairs

HHS Releases a New Resource to Help Individuals Access and Use Their Health Information
"The [Office of the National Coordinator for Health Information Technology (ONC)] Guide to Getting and Using your Health Records informs patients and consumers about the value of health information, and provides individuals with clear, actionable advice on how to: Get their health record, including offering tips through the process of accessing their records electronically, Check their health record to make sure it is complete, correct, and up-to-date, and Use their electronic health records, such as sharing their records to better coordinate their care and using apps and other digital technologies to better manage and improve their health."
U.S. Department of Health and Human Services [HHS]

Employee Stock Purchase Plans: The Biggest Tax-Return Mistakes to Avoid
"[1] Not filing Form 8949 after an immediate sale of ESPP shares at purchase.... [2] Paying tax on the discount too early.... [3] Directly using what appears as the cost basis on your Form 1099-B.... [4] Paying the wrong tax on the discount.... [5] Using the wrong price when there is no lookback."
myStockOptions.com

Managing an NQDC Plan Investment Menu
"Unlike a qualified defined contribution plan, in which plan assets are segregated from the employer's general assets in a trust or custodial account, the compensation deferred into an NQDC plan remains commingled with the employer's general assets and the returns are notional. This arrangement is significant because the plan sponsor bears the responsibility for funding the notional returns generated by the investment menu."
Callan

Press Releases

Christine LeBlanc Joins DATAIR DATAIR Employee Benefit Systems, Inc.

Lanning Hochhauser Retires from DATAIR DATAIR Employee Benefit Systems, Inc.

Economic Group Pension Services, Inc. Announces Expansion of San Diego Office Economic Group Pension Services [EGPS]

Securian Hires Southern California Retirement Plans Sales Leader Securian Financial Group

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