Information on U.S. Supreme Court (King v. Burwell) Subsidy Ruling

Under the Affordable Care Act, states may choose to run their own health insurance exchange. If a state declines to do so, the federal government runs the exchange. The U.S. Supreme Court case King v. Burwell challenged the legality of giving financial help to people who buy health insurance through a federally-run exchange.

The Court has ruled that these subsidies are legal. The ruling does not affect applicants through Washington's Health Exchange as it is state run exchange, not federal. Subsidies are only available to people who buy their health insurance through state and federal exchanges. Read more

2015 Patient-Centered Outcomes Research Institute (PCORI) Fee is Due July 31, 2015.

The Patient-Centered Outcomes Research Institute (PCORI) Fee, is one of several fees introduced as part of the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (PPACA). The fees collected are used to fund research to determine the effectiveness of alternative treatments. PCORI Overview

• This fee applies to both insured and self-insured group health plans.  The carrier pays the fee for insured plans with the anticipated cost built into its insurance policy premiums.
• Self-insured plans must calculate and pay their own fee. The regulations do not permit carriers to pay the fee on behalf of its clients.

2015 PCORI Payment Amounts

PCORI is determined by multiplying the applicable per covered life amount by the average number of covered lives for the applicable 12-month plan year.  The average number of covered lives for self-insured plans is determined using one of three alternative counting methods:

• Actual count method
• Snapshot method
• Form 5500 method

The PCORI payment is paid using IRS Form 720 (the Quarterly Federal Excise Tax Return), and it is due no later than July 31 of the calendar year for the plan year that ended in the preceding calendar year.  It's important to remember that clients must use the ERISA plan year to calculate their fee per covered life and payment due date if their ERISA plan year and renewal date is different. The following chart identifies the fee per covered life payable in 2015 based upon your ERISA plan year:

Please note that self-funded clients with ERISA plan year start dates of February 1, 2014 through October 1, 2014 will make their $2.08 payment per average covered life by July 31, 2016. Please let us know if you have questions.

From barbecues and picnics to days spent on lakes and rivers, who doesn't love summer? But this time of year poses some serious health risks too-from skin cancer to cataracts. July is UV Safety Month and the perfect time to remind your employees why it's important to protect themselves and their employees from the sun.

According to the American Cancer Society, more than 3.5 million new cases of skin cancer are diagnosed each year in the U.S. It's no surprise when you consider that the sun's ultraviolet (UV) rays can damage your skin in as little as 15 minutes.  Share these simple steps to keep those rays at bay:

• Stay in the shade as much as possible between 10 a.m. - 4 p.m.
• Use sunscreen with SPF 15 or higher; reapply every 2 hours and after swimming, towel drying or sweating
• Cover up with long sleeves and a hat
• Wear sunglasses that provide 100% UV protection