Home > Resources > Compliance Resources > Compliance Quarterly > February 2009 Compliance Quarterly

February 2009 Compliance Quarterly

February 2009 Feature: Changes to COBRA

Feb-05-2009

The US unemployment rate continues to soar and as a result, all eyes are on the stimulus package that President Obama is pushing the 111th Congress to pass quickly. More...

February 2009 Question of the Quarter

Jan-30-2009

I have an employee who missed our open enrollment period because he was on vacation, can I allow him to come onto the plan now? More...

Technical Correction in Mental Health Parity Effective Date

Jan-30-2009

On December 23, 2008, President Bush signed Senate Bill 3712 which made a technical correction to the Paul Wellstone and Pete Domenici Mental Health Parity and Addiction Equity Act of 2008 (“Wellstone Act” or the “Act”). More...

Medicare Secondary Payer Mandatory Reporting Requirements Applies to HRAs

Jan-30-2009

On December 17, 2008, the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) issued a revised MMSEA Section 111 MSP Mandatory Reporting GHP User Guide which states in Section 7.2.7 that CMS considers a Health Reimbursement Account (HRA) to be a Group Health Plan product for Medicare Secondary Payer purposes. More...

Update on Proposed Cafeteria Plan Regulations

Jan-30-2009

As we shared with you in the November 4th edition of Compliance Quarterly, in August 2007, the IRS & Treasury Department issued “new proposed” Section 125 regulations that pertain to cafeteria plans and, when passed, will result in significant changes to the way cafeteria plans are established and administered. More...

Final Regulations Issued Regarding The Newborns’ and Mothers’ Health Protection Act

Jan-30-2009

This Act is sometimes referred to as the “Drive-Through Delivery Act.” It mandates minimum covered hospital stays following childbirth. The final regulations replace the interim rules that many health plans have been operating under for years. More...

Delayed Debit Card Restrictions

Jan-30-2009

On December 4, 2008, the IRS announced that plan participants that utilize a health plan debit card will have an additional six months before they will be prohibited from using their health FSA and HRA debit cards at stores with Drugs Stores and Pharmacies merchant category codes (MCC). More...