September 9th, 2011 
KJensen The Health Reform Law, the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act, signed by President Obama on March 23, 2010, gives a tax credit to certain small employers that provide health coverage to their employees, effective for tax years beginning in 2010. As the tax filing extension deadlines near, the IRS and the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) announce a new round of outreach to Small Businesses and Practitioners about the small business health care tax credit.
Posted in Employees, Insurance, Self-employed Health Insurance, You at Work 
Tags: alternative minimum tax and health care credit, average premium for health care credit, business owner taking health care credit, calculating the health care credit for families, calculating the health care credit for S corps, calculating the health care tax credit, deduction for employee health insurance premiums, deduction for health insurance premiums, full time equivalent employees, health care for small business, Health care tax credit, health reform law, IRS notice 2010-44, IRS notice 2010-82, maximum health care credit, patient protection and affordable care act, qualified arrangement, qualified employer, self employed health care tax credit, small businesses, tax credits for small business 
No Comments » September 9th, 2011 KJensen Health Care Reform requires health plans to cover adult children to age 26. For plan years effective after 9/23/10, plans that cover dependent children must also provide coverage for adult children through age 26. However, this new rule does not allow out of pocket expenses for these adult children to be reimbursed out of HSAs. Check out more blogs about HSA’s.
This brings up a number of questions for HSAs. These talking points should help you when discussing the impact to HSAs on your family. Review the rules for determining dependent status.
Tax Dependent v. Non-Tax Dependent Child
Posted in Children's Health Care, Employees, Family Plans, HSA, Health Reform, Insurance, You at Home, You at Work Tags: adult child setting up his own HSA, cheaper health insurance ideas, do people in their 20s need health insurance, Health Care Reform, health insurance for students, health insurance for young adults, HSA’s, keeping your kids on your health insurance, mistaken distribution form, mistaken distributions, patient protection and affordable care act, reimbursement for out of pocket expenses for adult children, student health insurance, tax dependent v. Non-Tax dependent child, who is a dependent, why buy health insurance No Comments » September 1st, 2011 KJensen The Health Reform Law, the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act, signed by President Obama on March 23, 2010, gives a tax credit to certain small employers that provide health coverage to their employees, effective for tax years beginning in 2010. As a small business owner, what does this mean to you? Are there real tax savings from providing health insurance coverage to your employee? Maybe. Use the following as your guide when talking to your tax preparer:
How does this affect the normal business deduction for expenses paid for employee health insurance premiums?
Posted in Employees, Health Reform, Insurance, Self-employed Health Insurance, You at Home, You at Work Tags: alternative minimum tax and health care credit, average premium for health care credit, business owner taking health care credit, calculating the health care credit for families, calculating the health care credit for S corps, calculating the health care tax credit, deduction for employee health insurance premiums, deduction for health insurance premiums, full time equivalent employees, health care for small business, Health care tax credit, health reform law, IRS notice 2010-44, IRS notice 2010-82, maximum health care credit, patient protection and affordable care act, qualified arrangement, qualified employer, self employed health care tax credit, small businesses, tax credits for small business No Comments » May 25th, 2011 KJensen Author: Filice Insurance Compliance Department
Many health plans provide coverage for dependent children of the plan’s participants. Traditionally, health plans have had significant flexibility in determining which individuals would be eligible to be covered as dependents. However, this flexibility is affected by the health care reform requirement to provide coverage up to age 26 and by some state laws.
Whether dependent coverage under a health plan is tax-free (at the federal level) depends on whether the individuals covered as dependents also qualify as dependents under the Internal Revenue Code (the Code or tax code). An individual can qualify as a dependent under the Code by being any one of the following:
Posted in Compliance and HR, Employees, Insurance, Kids, You at Work Tags: definition of dependent, dependent care coverage under health care reform, dependents for health insurance, health care reform changes in dependent, qualifying child for health insurance, qualifying relative for health insurance plans, tax-free dependent, tax-free health insurance for dependents, what qualifies as a dependent on health plans, who is a dependent No Comments » April 28th, 2011 KJensen Author: Michelle Montoya, MLR, SPHR
Client question:
Who determines a terminated employee’s eligibility for unemployment benefits? Does the employer have any control over the unemployment claim?
Answer:
Eligibility for unemployment benefits is determined by the state agency (EDD, Employment Development Department, in the case of California) where the employee files a claim. The employer has no control over the filing or determination of eligibility.
When an unemployment claim is filed, the agency will request information from the employer about the facts surrounding the termination. This is the time an employer can state the reason for the termination, give supporting evidence, and state a case for denying unemployment benefits. The final determination will be made by the EDD.
April 28th, 2011 KJensen Author: Michelle Montoya, MLR, SPHR
Client question:
Will filing of a divorce be enough to cancel a spouse from coverage on our Company’s health insurance plan and be offered COBRA?
Answer:
No. The qualifying event is the date of the divorce decree (or legal separation). Merely filing for divorce is not considered a qualifying event, and will not render the spouse automatically eligible for COBRA. Courts often order a spouse to be reinstated on insurance plans if dropped before final divorce decree or legal separation, at which point, back premiums will be due, and can be quite expensive.
Posted in COBRA, Compliance and HR, Employees, Other at work, You at Work Tags: divorce and COBRA, Employee divorce and insurance, health insurance and divorce, HR professionals and employee divorce, insurance benefits during divorce, spouse off group health insurance, when to take spouse off insurance during divorce Comments Off April 28th, 2011 KJensen Author: Michelle Montoya, MLR, SPHR
Client question:
When terminating an employee, am I, as an HR Professional, required to have the employee sign the termination documentation?
Answer:
No. There are instances when terminated employees do not want to sign any termination documentation, and that is their choice. An employer is required to give notices and termination documents to the employee, but not required to receive signature. Do make a note on the document that the employee refused to sign.
