On March 11, the American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) of 2021 was signed into law. As a result, temporary provisions have been announced that apply to COBRA, as well as Dependent Care Assistance Programs (DCAPs)—also known as Dependent Care Flexible Spending Accounts (FSAs). Read on for a brief summary of these provisions.
Due to the pandemic, what seemed to be hard and fast rules turned out to be much more flexible. What hasn’t changed is that everyone still needs secure health care access, and COBRA continuation coverage plays into this fact. These are the top three reasons to pay extra attention to COBRA this year.
To cater to every learner, Optum Financial works to create content that serves a range of needs. To start the new year, we reviewed some of the most common learning styles and the benefits education resources we’ve created for each. Use these to brush up on your own knowledge or share with clients and members to give them a better understanding of the benefits available to them.
The COVID-19 pandemic prompted many legislative changes that affected consumer-directed benefits and tax filings, keeping HR administrators and brokers on their toes. Whether employer, broker, or account holder, we’ve recapped nine key benefits legislation updates in 2020 that you should know, plus a checklist to keep handy as we near the end of the year—just in case you lost track or need a refresher.
On top of managing COBRA administration, employers must figure out how to collect insurance premiums and service fees that were previously collected through payroll deductions. This is where direct billing through a trusted partner can bring relief to employers, brokers, and COBRA recipients alike. With direct billing services, employers are liberated from billing past employees for premiums while employees experience seamless coverage. We spoke with ConnectYourCare’s Director of COBRA Operations, Juli Kline, about how direct billing services make continuation of coverage easier for everyone involved.
With the help of our COBRA experts, we created a brief-but-detailed guide to COBRA administration in our latest eBook, COBRA Administration For Dummies®, ConnectYourCare Special Edition. Learn about our recent release in this blog post.
Did you miss our recent webinar, The New Demands of COBRA? Our blog recap has you covered. See common COBRA administration mistakes, recent legislation, how to handle furloughed employees, and more, in this post.
In this article, we cover the latest developments around Disaster Relief Notice 2020-01, including how it specifically impacts COBRA administration.
In light of the legislative changes taking place in response to COVID-19, ConnectYourCare recently hosted a webinar to give a detailed overview of what employers need to know about benefits administration in this critical time. We summarize everything you need to know in this post.
In this post, we answer your top COVID-related questions around lifestyle spending accounts, FSAs, HSAs, commuter benefits, child care, and the recently passed CARES Act.