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 Quick! Check Your Flex
Mondaq
December 31 is the deadline
to amend flex plans to reflect the 2014 contribution limit of $2,500. While most plans were amended long ago, it's a good idea to check your document today to be sure.
Disallowed Pay or Play Tactics
E is for ERISA
The popular Internet blog, E is for ERISA , published a chart of impermissible employer pay or play strategies. Prominent among the impermissible strategies is reimbursement of employee premiums, whether pre- or post-tax, for insurance purchased through a marketplace. Offering cash as an incentive to a high-risk employee to opt out of the employer's plan is also forbidden.
2015 Contribution Limits
The Society for Human Resource Management
Having trouble keeping track of the new 2015 contribution limits? The Society for Human Resource Management has collected all of the new contribution limits, from health FSAs to adoption, in a single article.
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HSA Contributions and Medicare Eligibility
Question: An employee is turning age 65 next month and will be eligible for Medicare. Can we still contribute to his health savings account (HSA)? What about his spouse's HSA?
Answer:
The Employee: The term "Medicare eligible" is different from being enrolled in Medicare. His HSA eligibility won't end if he is merely eligible for Medicare, but it will end if he enrolls. Since this person will stay employed past age 65, he might want to consider declining Medicare (Part A and Part B) so he can continue to make HSA contributions. AARP has an information piece.
The Spouse: If the employee becomes covered by Medicare (enrolled in either Part A or Part B), he can no longer make contributions to the spouse's HSA. Similarly, the employer cannot make contributions to the spouse's HSA. If the spouse remains covered by an HDHP, then the spouse can open an HSA even if the employee is ineligible. So, let's say he enrolls in Part A and also is covered for family coverage through the employer plan. The spouse would be able to make HSA contributions to her account on behalf of both spouses. Here's a resource that provides more details.
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More on Honeywell and the EEOC
Employee Benefits News
After a court in November denied the EEOC's (Equal Employment Opportunity Commission) request for a restraining order and injunction against Honeywell, industry experts have had time to analyze the details of both the complaint and Honeywell's defense.
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"The problem, put simply, is that without telling anyone what the rules are, the EEOC has begun to challenge a subset of popular wellness programs, the design of which is expressly sanctioned by the ACA." Click here to read more, and don't miss the link toward the end of the article for some practical advice for the design, communication and administration of wellness programs.
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