News

The Affordable Care Act (ACA or health care reform law) changed how health care plans work and how people can get coverage. It also changed the way we do business and the way you serve your clients. Now more than ever, it’s important to stay on top of what’s changed, and prepare for what’s ahead. That’s […]

Commentary: The Department of Labor finally revealed its proposed fiduciary standard rule on Tuesday after weeks of anticipation and speculation. The rule is intended to deter brokers from pushing “backdoor payments” and hidden fees in the products they recommend to clients. Specific elements of the rule include imposing a fiduciary duty on brokers, preventing conflicts […]

Failing to claim all the tax deduction you’re entitled to is like flushing money down the toilet. As small business owners prepare their taxes this year, it’s important they don’t miss any of these most commonly overlooked tax deductions, to avoid paying more money to Uncle Sam than necessary. 1. Home office deduction Do you use […]

At the beginning of March, CMS announced a special enrollment period (SEP) for individuals and families who did not enroll for health coverage in 2014, and were subject to the fee or “shared responsibility payment” when they filed their 2014 taxes. By enrolling during this SEP, affected consumers may avoid further tax penalties on their […]

(Bloomberg) — Oklahoma won a court ruling striking down tax rules tied to the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act, after a judge found they illegally punish states that didn’t establish health care exchanges. U.S. District Judge Ronald White in Muskogee, Okla., last month denied a government request to throw out the 2011 lawsuit, in […]

A new report finds the introduction of the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act mandates stirred up significant market share changes among carriers offering individual plans, with lower-price plans seeing a surge in enrollment. Minneapolis-based analyst Allan Baumgarten released the study. Baumgarten looked at how the individual health insurance market grew after the first enrollment […]

They promised they would be coming and now they have. On Aug. 28, the Internal Revenue Service issued draft instructions for Forms 1094-C and 1095-C and Forms 1094-B and 1095-B, which I provided in my July 31 entry. These forms were provided in draft format and they are used to satisfy Affordable Care Act’s “information […]

The downward spiral of public opinion surrounding the Patient Protection and Affordable Car Act continues since its July peak, just as midterm elections creep closer. The latest Health Tracking Poll from the Kaiser Family Foundation finds many more people pessimistic about the law, with 47 percent viewing it unfavorably vs. 35 percent supporting it. Among […]

Internal Revenue Service commissioner John Koskinen told a congressional subcommittee about the IRS’s progress on the Affordable Care Act and the impact that tax subsidies will have next tax season. In a hearing before the House Ways and Means Health Subcommittee on Wednesday, Koskinen talked about how the IRS would be processing the premium tax […]

Injury used to represent the bulk of employee absence managed by companies. Of course, injury leave is still important. But in recent years, the Family and Medical Leave Act, state and even local laws have made leave the most pressing, complex — and possibly litigious — type of absence in the workplace. The cost of […]