In a blatant attempt to get on Santa's 'Nice List', Congress has passed, and the President signed on Tuesday, an extension to the COBRA premium subsidy. The new provisions are contained in Section 1010 of the Department of Defense Appropriations Act. The act extends the eligibility period for the ARRA premium reduction for an additional two months (through Feb. 28, 2010) and the maximum period for receiving the subsidy for an additional six months (from nine to 15 months). And as a special holiday gift for employers (sarcasm), the extension law requires employers to notify and/or re-notify terminated workers about the new subsidy provisions. You can get more details at our blog. We will be updating it as we get more information. |
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Southern Health - HCA Update
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Southern Health and HCA have agreed to an extension of their contracts. According to the letter sent to their group clients, Southern Health said, "the contract extension will be in effect until March 5, 2010 to allow for continued discussions focused on meeting our goals. The means that there will be no change to our members' access to HCA facilities during this contract extension."
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IRS Publication 502 Update Released
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 With HSAs and FSAs and HRAs being a big topics of conversation these days, This IRS publication may be helpful. It describes what medical expenses are deductible by taxpayers on their 2009 federal income tax returns (under Code Section 213(a)).
Pub. 502 provides valuable guidance on what qualifies as a medical expense and what can be reimbursed or paid by health FSAs, HSAs, or HRAs. However, Pub. 502 addresses only what expenses are deductible - it
doesn't describe the different rules for reimbursing medical expenses under these health programs. For that, please consult your tax adviser.
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We have had a wonderful, if not trying, year and want to thank everyone who played a part in it.
Carriers reps and their employees - they make us look good when we do things well. When we screw up, it is more than likely my fault.
Clients - You are the best. We love working with you and you make our 'job' fun. Thank you for your trust and confidence in us!
Future clients - One of these days, you will need something we offer. We look forward to the opportunity to work with you.
Business Advisers - Those people we call on when we need a question answered, or advice on a particular subject - Thanks for your support.
Family members - Your support is appreciated more than you know and I love you all.
Friends. You are already listed in at least on of the categories above, but we just want to cover all the bases. Thanks for being there.
We are excited about the future, despite the uncertainty we face because of the happenings in Washington. Nevertheless, we look forward to 2010 and beyond.
Let us know what we can do to serve you better!
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Winter Wonderland by Jason Mraz
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 I wanted to end the newsletter with a quote or video, so I turned to my resident expert in all things quotable or worth watching on Youtube. She suggested a little Winter Wonderland as performed by Mechanicsville native, Jason Mraz. Enjoy!
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