Entries by Simon Carlson

Free Webinar: BASIC COBRA Administration

DATE: Thu, Aug 08, 2019 TIME: 2:00 pm EDT to 2:30 pm EDT Register for the webinar here After registering, you will receive a confirmation email containing information about joining the webinar. BASIC’s proven expertise ensures consistent compliance that satisfies the requirements of all relevant regulations. With penalties up to $100 per day per qualified […]

IRS Lowers Affordability Rate to 9.78 Percent for 2020

The IRS has announced Revenue Procedure 2019-29, which lowers the ACA’s affordability standard to 9.78 percent for 2020, down from 9.86 percent in 2019. The goal of the Affordable Care Act’s affordability standard is to provide employees with a low-cost group health care option by imposing cost-sharing limits. Group health plan coverage is deemed affordable […]

House of Representatives Votes to Repeal ACA “Cadillac Tax” Provision

On Wednesday July 17th, the House of Representatives voted to repeal a provision of the Affordable Care Act called the “Cadillac tax” via the Middle Class Health Benefits Tax Repeal Act of 2019 (H.R. 748). Legislators have twice voted to delay the tax, which is set to take effect in 2022. The goal of the […]

BASIC Shares 3 Frequent FMLA Mistakes Employers Should Avoid

Managing FMLA in-house is complicated and full of risk. Overwhelming paperwork and navigating legal requirements can quickly become a headache for any Human Resources department. BASIC illustrates three common FMLA mistakes made by employers and corresponding lawsuits that have followed. 1)  Insufficient Communication Employers have a responsibility to provide employees on FMLA leave with clear explanations […]

IRS Issues Draft of New Form W-4

As expected, the IRS has published a draft of a radically revised Form W-4, Employee’s Withholding Allowance Certificate. The agency emphasizes this is just a preliminary version, and until further notice, everyone should continue to use the current version. However, human resources departments and payroll managers should take a good look at it now, as it’s […]

FMLA Leave Common Mistakes and How BASIC Makes It Simple!

Managing FMLA leave in-house is complicated and full of risk. Overwhelming paperwork and navigating legal requirements can quickly become a headache for any Human Resources department. BASIC offers a full range of FMLA Administration services to help companies avoid the most common FMLA mistakes, many of which have serious consequences. Here are some frequent mistakes […]

Final Ruling Expands HRAs to Pay for Individual Coverage (ICHRA)

On June 13, the U.S. Treasury Department, the Department of Labor, and the Department of Health and Human Services issued a final ruling allowing employers of all sizes (that do not offer a group coverage plan) to provide employees with a new kind of health reimbursement arrangement (HRA), known as an individual coverage HRA (ICHRA). Among other […]

CMS Extends ‘Grandmothered’ Health Plans

On March 25, 2019, the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) announced that states may allow grandmothered health plans to continue until Dec. 31, 2020. What’s the history here? Certain health plans that were already in existence when the Affordable Care Act was passed on March 23, 2010, are permitted to stay in force […]