On February 17, the IRS released its Exempt Organization Newsletter, Issue Number 2015-3.

In prior posts, we have described how coverage has to be “affordable” to avoid the ACA play or pay penalty. We’ve usually used the shorthand that the premium must be no more than 9.5% of an employee’s household income. However, that 9.5% is subject to periodic adjustments designed to approximate the difference between the growth in insurance premium costs and income. For 2015, that percentage has been adjusted to 9.56%.

However, there’s a catch here: the percentage applies to actual household income, which is something an employer is very unlikely to know. Recognizing this, the IRS has provided some safe harbors based on information more readily available to an employer. Those are the W-2, rate of pay, and Federal Poverty Line safe harbors.   Without describing all the details, the general rule is that if the premium for an employer’s coverage is less than 9.5% of the employee’s

On February 5, the IRS released its Exempt Organization Newsletter, Issue Number 2015-2.

As has now been widely reported, Anthem, Inc. was the unfortunate target of a cyber-attack potentially impacting 80 million current and former customers. Some reports have indicated that the HIPAA breach notification rules will not apply to this breach. However, the information stolen appears to include individually identifiable information, potentially including health plan enrollment information. Enrollment information, in the hands of a health plan, is protected health information (PHI), so it is possible that the HIPAA data breach notification rules are applicable. As such, both insured and self-funded customers utilizing Anthem as their TPA should review information concerning the Anthem breach carefully before concluding that the HIPAA breach notification rules do not apply.

Additionally, given that claims for other Blue Cross Blue Shield customers may have been submitted through Anthem for employees and dependents in an Anthem service area, it is possible that Anthem has information on individuals

• When: Thursday, March 26, 2015 || 2–5 PM
• Where: J.C. Penney Conference Center, UMSL North Campus
• Fee: $25 – Click here to register now!

Every organization has board or staff members that possess financial credentials and/or experience and are charged with the primary responsibility of reporting or managing the financial matters of the nonprofit. However, board and staff members whose expertise is other than financial still need the ability to monitor the financial condition of the organization and be in a position to ask questions and determine if the organization has the resources to carry out its program goals and strategies. This is an introductory course in how to read financial statements for those who are not finance or accounting professionals.

Attendees will learn:

• What to look for when reading financial statements
• Indicators of financial health, as well as how to detect potential trouble spots
• What is different