Webinar On Legal and Legislative Update on Group Benefits

Overview: This webinar will discuss the latest legal and legislative developments affecting group benefit plans, beginning with a discussion of the latest Supreme Court cases and continued legal challenges to health care reform, which include the suit by the House of Representatives alleging that the IRS has exceeded its authority by delaying penalties and allowing transition rules and that all funds were not properly appropriated. Other suits are challenging health care reform based on the origination clause in the constitution. The Supreme Court will decide a case related to the mandate that contraceptives be covered as preventive services and this webinar will discuss the issues involved.

The webinar will also describe the bill recently vetoed by the President that would have repealed many of the provisions of health care reform and the possibility of future Congressional action under a new President. This webinar will also describe some clarifications to the requirement to cover all preventive services at 100%, including new rules related to colonoscopies, lactation counseling and contraceptives. This webinar will also describe the new reporting requirements that apply to large employers and self-funded health plans, including the deadlines for reporting. 

This webinar will also describe the cost-of-living adjustments that are effective for 2016 and changes to the rules related to maximum out-of-pocket limits. This webinar will discuss the change in definition of small employer for purposes of certain insurance requirements and the impact this will have in states that have elected to define small employers as those with no more than 100 employees, as opposed to the states that have elected to define small employers as those with no more than 50 employees. The webinar will discuss the upcoming changes to the Summaries of Benefits and Coverage that are expected to go into effect for open enrollments for 2017 plan years. 

This webinar will also discuss the nondiscrimination rules issued by the Department of Health and Human Services and the pending nondiscrimination rules to be issued by the Internal Revenue Service. This webinar will also discuss the so-called Cadillac tax now scheduled to go into effect in 2020 and the temporary suspension of the medical device tax and the health insurance tax and its implication for renewals. This webinar will discuss the various new rules that were part of IRS Notice 2016-87, including new rules for health reimbursement arrangements, rules regarding affordability calculations and such things as flex credits and wellness programs and the new rules about COBRA continuation coverage for health flexible spending accounts that have carryover provisions.

This webinar will describe the penalties that apply to large employers in 2016. In order to describe the penalties, the webinar will define such terms as applicable large employer, full-time employee, minimum essential coverage, minimum value coverage and affordability. The webinar will describe the cost-of-living adjustments announced in December by the Internal Revenue Service, including the amounts of penalties and the affordability standards for both 2015 and 2016.

This webinar will review the new dangers related to misclassification of employees as independent contractors. This webinar will also discuss some of the latest clarifications with regard to mental health parity, some of the latest HIPAA breaches and what to do to minimize risks and the latest proposed regulations from the EEOC regarding wellness programs. This webinar will conclude with an opportunity to ask questions.

Why should you attend: The employee benefits field is constantly changing. Employee benefit professionals need to keep up with the latest developments, including regulatory changes. Compliance is not optional and what you don't know can hurt you!

Some of the new regulations apply to or will affect all or virtually all employers. Do you know about the penalties that could be imposed on employers that do not offer minimum essential coverage to virtually all full-time employees?

Do you know about the penalties that could be imposed on employers that do not offer minimum value, affordable coverage to all full-time employees?

Are your independent contractors really independent contractors or are they your employees?

If you have 51-100 employees, are you in a state that is mandating significant changes?

Are you aware of the most recent Supreme Court decisions relating to group benefits and all the continuing legal challenges to health care reform?

Do you know about the latest cost-of-living adjustments that relate to health care reform provisions and the new rules on out-of-pocket limits?

Are you aware of the changes coming to Summaries of Benefits and Coverage?

Are you aware of the looming Cadillac tax and nondiscrimination regulations?

Do you know about the temporary suspension of the health insurance tax?

Are you aware of new rules that relate to health reimbursement arrangements?

Do you know about the affordability rules and nuances regarding such things as flex credits and wellness programs?

Do you know the rules regarding COBRA continuation coverage and health flexible spending accounts that have carryover provisions?

Areas Covered in the Session:

• Supreme Court Decisions
• Health Care Reform
• Mental Health Parity
• HIPAA
• Wellness Plans
• Appellate Court Cases

Who Will Benefit:

• Vice President of Human Resources
• Director of Compensation & Benefits
• Benefit Manager
• Benefit Specialist
• Insurance Agent
• Insurance Broker
• Employee Benefits Consultant
• Group Insurance Representative

Instructor:

John C. Garner is Chief Compliance Officer at Bolton & Company. Before joining Bolton, he was the principal of Garner Consulting in Pasadena, California. Prior to founding Garner Consulting, he was a principal in the Los Angeles office of Towers Perrin, where he worked for over ten years. Mr. Garner serves as the national legislative and government affairs advisor for the Disability Management Employer Coalition. He is a past chair of the CEBS Committee for the International Foundation of Employee Benefit Plans. He is a past member of the Governing Council of the International Society of Certified Employee Benefit Specialists and is a past president of the Los Angeles Chapter. Mr. Garner is also a past president of the Employee Benefit Planning Association of Southern California, the Los Angeles Life and Accident Claim Association and the Western Claim Conference. 

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