Coffee & Compliance

Nick, Amanda, and Dan discuss excise penalties and how they apply to the various provisions of the Affordable Care Act.

Nick, Amanda, and Dan discuss the expansion of the required coverage of COVID-19 tests by group health plans to tests that can be purchased over the counter. 

Happy holidays from Coffee & Compliance! We'll be back in the new year with new episodes and new topics.

Nick, Amanda, and Dan discuss the different tasks and considerations that plan sponsors need to take care of to close out 2021 cleanly while putting their best foot forward in 2022.  

Nick, Amanda, and Dan discuss the exotic topic of ERISA preemption, how it's played out with state laws in the past, and where it could go in the future.

Nick, Amanda, and Dan discuss the various notice requirements with which employers and plan sponsors have to comply.

Nick, Amanda, and Dan discuss the look-back measurement method under the ACA's employer mandate and all of the fun that comes with using the look-back measurement method.  

Amanda and Nick talk about the surprises and the commonplace of being a regulatory and legislative specialist in the health and welfare space.

Nick, Ben, and Amanda discuss the mix of transparency rules that employers are dealing with, from the Trump administration's final transparency rules that are tied to the ACA to the No Surprises Act.

Ben and Nick talk about Ben's impending retirement and the things that he's seen over the last three decades.

Ben and Nick talk about some of the common health and welfare benefit scams that they've seen as well as certain issues that get into a “gray” area. 

Ben and Nick discuss the often missed, or sometimes ignored, compliance issues that come up when a health plan is dealing with perennial high cost claimants.

Ben and Nick discuss the recent dismissal by the Supreme Court of a lawsuit that challenged the constitutionality of the Affordable Care Act.

Ben and Nick discuss the health and welfare rules for mental health benefits.  

Ben and Nick discuss all of the fun details that need to be considered during business reorganizations like mergers, acquisitions, and divestitures.  

Melanie Payton is back to talk with Ben and Nick about state leave and disability laws and where they're going in the future.

Ben and Nick have another guest, Melanie Payton from Pacific Resources, on to discuss the expanding and often confusing world of state leave and disability laws.

Ben and Nick talk all of the overlapping rules for COBRA in the government's COVID-19 response.

Ben and Nick discuss what medical expenses are eligible for tax free coverage under Code §213(d).  

Ben and Nick discuss pre-tax changes under the §125 rules.

Ben and Nick discuss how protected and unprotected leaves of absence can impact employee benefits as well as some of the hidden pitfalls for employers when they do more than they're required to.

Ben and Nick discuss what exactly a MEWA (Multiple Employer Welfare Arrangement) is, what are the compliance concerns around MEWAs, and how employers often inadvertently create them.  

Ben and Nick discuss the who, what, when, where and why's of trusts and why plan sponsors need to be aware of the rules surrounding trusts.  

Gina Schreiber is back to talk to Ben and Nick about Medicare. This time, they talk about Medicare from the individual's perspective and touch on some of the common Medicare misconceptions that they see on a regular basis.

Ben and Nick have their first guest, Gina Schreiber from The Advocator Group, on to discuss the Medicare Secondary Payer (MSP) Rules and how they can trip up plan sponsors.

Ben and Nick discuss one of their “favorite” annual topics: reporting under Code §§ 6056 and 6055 using Forms 1094-C and 1095-C.

Ben and Nick discuss the tricky nuances with HSAs and how those nuances can throw HR departments, and HSA account holders, for a loop.

Ben and Nick discuss what is considered to be discriminatory under the tax code, who is in the "prohibited" class, and plan design options to help with discrimination issues.

Ben and Nick discuss protected health information and common mistakes when classifying information as well as administrative requirements under HIPAA.

Ben and Nick discuss the many common mistakes and misunderstandings that plan sponsors have about ERISA, such as what actually constitutes an Summary Plan Description and who has to get it.

Ben and Nick discuss the current regulatory state around wellness plans, provide a slight update, and talk about the moving compliance pieces that employers need to take into consideration.

Ben and Nick discuss what Plan Change Burnout is, what plan terms require immediate attention, and the risks of not staying on top of plan amendments for plan terms.

Ben and Nick discuss the Supreme Court's decision in Bostock v. Clayton County that held that Title VII of the Civil Rights Acts of 1964 protects gay and transgender workers from workplace discrimination.