Extended Coverage Rights for Pregnancy‐Related Disability

California Employers Must Now Provide Health Benefits for Four Months for Pregnancy Disability

On October 8th, 2011, Governor Jerry Brown signed into law Senate Bill 299, requiring California employers with 5 or more employees to continue group health coverage for up to 16 weeks for employees on pregnancy disability leave. Existing state and federal laws such as FMLA, CFRA, PDL, and others allowed various periods of leave for pregnancy disability, but for many workers, there is no right to continue healthcare coverage on the employee’s group health plan during the pregnancy disability leave.

2012 HSA Updates

The IRS announced that the contribution limit for an individual would increase by $50 in 2012, from $3,050 to $3,100. The family contribution limit is increasing from $6,150 to $6,250 (+$100).

The annual catch up amount for individuals over the age of 55 and who are not enrolled in Medicare is $1,000 per person on the plan. However, if the person who is making the catch up contribution is not the primary subscriber on the plan he or she will need to open a separate HSA account to hold the funds. For more information on this please see U.S. Department of the Treasury HSA FAQ.

Short Term Health Insurance – Filling the Gap Between Coverage

At some point most people will experience a change in their Health Insurance coverage. Whether it’s a result of changing jobs, being laid off, or simply changing Individual Health Insurance carriers the transition can be stressful. Often times there is potential for a gap in coverage while going through the transition. One way to easily and cheaply fill the gap between coverage periods is with a Short Term Health Insurance policy. The following three common scenarios are examples of when Short Term Health Insurance can be very beneficial.

Understanding Your Current Benefits Can Save You Headaches Down The Road

Whether you have a high deductible Individual Health Insurance plan, a Group plan, or have just purchased a Comprehensive Foreign Health Travel Insurance plan it is important to understand what your plan does and does not cover. This can help prevent big surprises and costly errors when it comes time to use your benefits. For example, some plans provide for a limited number of physical therapy sessions per calendar year. In this case if the member continues past the allowed number of visits without having additional visits pre-approved he or she would be left to pay the entire bill on his or her own even though this is a covered service.

2011 HSA Updates

For the 2011 tax year the IRS has opted to keep the HSA contribution maximums the same as they were for 2010. An Individual can contribute up to $3,050 and someone who is covering one or more dependents can contribute up to $6,150.

The annual catch up amount for individuals over the age of 55 and who are not enrolled in Medicare is $1,000 per person on the plan. However, if the person who is making the catch up contribution is not the primary subscriber on the plan he or she will need to open a separate HSA account to hold the funds. For more information on this please see U.S. Department of the Treasury HSA FAQ.

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Extended Coverage Rights for Pregnancy‐Related Disability

2012 HSA Updates

Short Term Health Insurance – Filling the Gap Between Coverage

Understanding Your Current Benefits Can Save You Headaches Down The Road

2011 HSA Updates

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