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Fringe Benefit Analysts® is a full-service insurance, consulting and employee benefits firm. We serve a wide range of businesses with best-in-class expertise, services and support for their benefit programs. Our clients are assured of accurate, consistent solutions, attention to detail, responsiveness and a high return-on-value for their benefits dollars. Fringe Benefits Analysts helps ‘calm the waters’ of the complex and sometimes overwhelming world of insurance benefits. Please enjoy our blog!

DOL Issues 31st FAQ on ACA Implementation

DOL Issues 31st FAQ on ACA Implementation

The U.S. Department of Labor (DOL) has issued its 31st FAQ on the implementation of the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (ACA), dedicated to coverage of preventive services, rescissions of coverage, out-of-network emergency services, clinical trial coverage, cost-sharing limitations, the Mental Health Parity Act, and the Women’s Health and Cancer Rights Act. Some highlights […]

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Employer Liability Under Health Care Sharing Ministries Plan

Employer Liability Under Health Care Sharing Ministries Plan

Under the Affordable Care Act (ACA), members belonging to a certain number of organizations known as Health Care Sharing Ministries – sometimes called Christian Health Plans or Christian Ministries Plan were granted an exemption from the personal tax penalty (up to 2.5% of one’s household income in 2016 and beyond) for not having a qualified […]

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Employers Ask: What Prevents Me from Reimbursing Individual Health Insurance Policies?

Employers Ask: What Prevents Me from Reimbursing Individual Health Insurance Policies?

In serving 36,000 employers and 5 million employees, our UBA Partners get this question frequently: What federal guidance prohibits employers from reimbursing individual health insurance policies? Answer: The IRS has issued extensive guidance prohibiting employers from reimbursing individual health insurance policies on an individual basis. It issued two notices in 2015 that addressed this issue. […]

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Why are Utah Health Insurance Rates on the Rise?

Why are Utah Health Insurance Rates on the Rise?

In July of 2016, Utah will be seeing small group rates from some of the largest Utah health insurance carriers increasing 20% or more. Rates are just now being filed for 2017 and the indicators are not pretty. We are expecting to see an additional double digit increase in small group Utah health insurance plans, […]

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As Dragnet’s Joe Friday Would Say, “Just the Facts, Ma’am.” Get the Facts on COBRA Coverage – Who, When and How Long?

As Dragnet’s Joe Friday Would Say, “Just the Facts, Ma’am.” Get the Facts on COBRA Coverage – Who, When and How Long?

As we mentioned in the first edition of this mini-series on the Federal Consolidated Omnibus Budget Reconciliation Act of 1985 (COBRA), “marketplaces” or “exchanges” created by the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (ACA) did not make COBRA coverage obsolete. Rather, COBRA is still going strong. And while the general rule of COBRA coverage is […]

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Seven Common Mistakes That Could Trigger a DOL Audit

Seven Common Mistakes That Could Trigger a DOL Audit

Not many things incite more fear than receiving a notice that you’re about to have an audit, especially from the Department of Labor (DOL). The DOL is a cabinet-level department of the U.S. federal government responsible for occupational safety, wage and hour standards, unemployment insurance benefits, re-employment services, and some economic statistics. It is headed […]

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