On May 12, 2020, in response to the COVID-19 pandemic, the Internal Revenue Service (“IRS”) issued two notices, Notice 2020-29 and Notice 2020-33, providing relief and guidance to employers sponsoring Section 125 cafeteria plans, health flexible spending accounts, dependent care assistance programs, and qualified high deductible health plans. Notice 2020-29 provides increased flexibility for cafeteria [...]
On May 4th, the Employee Benefits Security Administration (EBSA), a division of the Department of Labor, and the IRS filed a joint notice which extends numerous deadlines applicable to employee benefit plans that are subject to ERISA. Health and Human Services (HHS) concurred with the notice thus extending its parameters to non-federal governmental plans as [...]
The COVID-19 pandemic continues to impact our daily lives from stay at home orders to social distancing and we’ve all had to adjust to what is becoming known as the new normal. One thing that has not changed, however, is Diversified Group's dedication to patient outreach via case management, pre-certification, disease management, and discharge planning. [...]
CARES Act Employee Benefit Impact High Deductible Health Plans payment for tele-health. Effective immediately, the CARES Act creates a temporary safe harbor allowing HDHPs to cover telehealth services and other remote care without cost to plan members before plan members’ deductibles are met. This temporary safe harbor applies to all HDHPs, including those with plan members using [...]
This blog was published on April 3, 2020 International's Foundation of Employee Benefits Plans Blog, written by Robbie Hartman, CEBS. Photo source: blog.ifebp.org. In rapid time, the coronavirus has upended the benefit industry’s way of work. Most offices stand empty or operate with a skeleton crew, as employees and plan participants keep their distance and work [...]
To Our Valued Clients: We recognize that there is plenty of uncertainty right now unfolding around the situation we find ourselves in with the introduction of COVID-19. At Diversified, our aim is to add some clarity surrounding your medical plan by reviewing the trending topics of the calls coming into our member services department. Question #2: Who [...]
This article was published on March 25, 2020 BenefitsPro.com, written by Katie Kuehner-Hebert. Photo source BenefitsPro.com. Covered California's actuarial/policy brief recommends that Congress consider three actions now to mitigate impact. Congress needs to mitigate what could be substantial cost increases for both insurers and their members due to the COVID-19 pandemic, warns Covered California, the [...]
In light of the nation's response to COVID-19 and the resultant economic downturn, employers of all sizes face a dilemma of evaluating employee head counts. Many employers are considering furloughs or temporary layoffs to reduce immediate payroll, hoping the downturn lasts for a period of a few weeks instead of months. Below is a list [...]
This article was published on March 21, 2020 in MyHealthGuide, written by Hobson D. Carroll, FSA, MAAA, President, MedRisk Actuarial Services, Inc. After the President signed the Families First Coronavirus Response Act wherein testing for the virus may not attract any element of cost-sharing (think: preventive care), there has begun an additional new drum roll [...]
On March 19th, President Trump signed into law The Families First Coronavirus Response Act. This is a significant piece of legislation designed to address the economic impact of the COVID-19 pandemic. The bill provides new employee leave benefits, including paid sick time options and mandated insurance coverage for the COVID-testing. Mandated Coverage for COVID-19 Testing: Group [...]
