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 Resources
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through our Resources section by category.
COBRA -
Consolidated Omnibus Reconciliation Act
--FEDERAL
* CMS
COBRA Overview
* General
* Frequently
Asked Questions
* Fact
Sheet
* Federal
Register Final Rule (29 CFR Part 2590)
* Employer
Guide
* Employee
Guide
* Model
General Notice
* Model
Election Notice
--STATE Mini-COBRA
* Connecticut
* Massachusetts
* New
Hampshire
* New
York
* Rhode
Island
* Vermont
Consumer
Guides for Getting and Keeping Health Insurance
 The
Georgetown University Health Policy Institute has written A CONSUMER
GUIDE FOR GETTING AND KEEPING HEALTH INSURANCE for each state and the
District of Columbia — fifty-one in all. These Consumer
Guides
are available at this web site and will be updated periodically as
changes in federal and state policy warrant.
* Managing
Medical Bills: Strategies for Navigating the Health Care System
* Connecticut
* Massachusetts
* New
Hampshire
* New York
* Rhode
Island
* Vermont
Council
for Disability Awareness
 Disability Can
Happen.org - In
October 2006, the Council for Disability Awareness (CDA) launched a new
website to help expand public awareness of the growing likelihood of
disability and the value of planning responsibly in the event
disability prevents one from earning a living. The CDA is a non-profit
group formed in 2005. It engages in communications, research and
education to provide information and resources to wage earners, their
families, the media, employers and others who are concerned about
disability and its financial impact.
On the new site, you can find helpful information needed to make
responsible decisions to prepare for and maintain financial security in
the face of disability. You will find:
- Life stories that demonstrate how
disability can strike at any time.
- Useful statistics, such as common causes
and odds of disability.
- Information about how social security and
workers compensation often may not provide adequate coverage.
- Information about the financial impact
disability can have. Tools to help persons plan for an unforeseen
disability.
Department of Insurance
 The
National Association of Insurance Commissioners (NAIC) is the
organization of insurance regulators from the 50 states, the District
of Columbia and the five U.S. territories. The NAIC provides a forum
for the development of uniform policy when uniformity is appropriate. A
state regulator's primary responsibility is to protect the interests of
insurance consumers, and the NAIC helps regulators fulfill that
obligation.
* National
Association of
Insurance Commissioners (NAIC)
* Connecticut
* Massachusetts
* New
Hampshire
* New
York
* Rhode
Island
* Vermont
Department
of Labor
 The
Department of Labor fosters and promotes the welfare of the job
seekers, wage earners, and retirees of the United States by improving
their working conditions, advancing their opportunities for profitable
employment, protecting their retirement and health care benefits,
helping employers find workers, strengthening free collective
bargaining, and tracking changes in employment, prices, and other
national economic measurements.
* DOL
Home
* DOL Find It!
by Topic
* DOL
elaws - Employment laws assistance for workers &
small businesses
* EBSA-Employee
Benefits Security Administration
>Reporting
and Disclosure Guide for Employee Benefit Plans
Employee
Benefit Plans Form 5500 Series
 Each
year, pension and welfare benefit plans generally are required to file
an annual return/report regarding their financial condition,
investments, and operations. The annual reporting requirement is
generally satisfied by filing the Form 5500 Annual Return/Report of
Employee Benefit Plan and any required attachments. The Form
5500
Series is part of ERISA's overall reporting and disclosure framework,
which is intended to assure that employee benefit plans are operated
and managed in accordance with certain prescribed standards and that
participants and beneficiaries, as well as regulators, are provided or
have access to sufficient information to protect the rights and
benefits of participants and beneficiaries under employee benefit plans.
* Instructions
* Are You In
Compliance?
Employer's
Tax Guide to Fringe Benefits
* Publication
15-B for Benefits
Family
Health Budget
 Whether a consumer
is insured through an employer, an individual plan
or Medicare, health care costs extend far beyond monthly premiums. In
fact, out-of-pocket expenses — those paid for weight loss
programs, prescriptions, co-payments, alternative medicine and physical
therapy, for example — often exceed the amount of yearly
insurance premiums. However, many consumers fail to include these
additional health care expenses in their family’s budgets.
The Family
Health Budget
offers an easy, Web- and print-based tool designed to provide a
personalized view of each consumer’s health-related budgetary
needs and recommend savings options to lower health care expenses.
FMLA - Family Medical Leave Act
* The
Law (Public Law 103-3)
* The
Regulations (29 C.F.R. Part 825)
* E-Laws
FMLA Advisor
* Compliance
Guide (WH-1421)
* Fact
Sheet (#28)
* Your
Rights Under FMLA Poster (WH-1420)
* Frequently
Asked Questions
* Medical
Certification Form (WH-380) - For employee to submit to
employer
* Employer's
Response to Employee Request for FMLA Leave Form (WH-381)
* Special
Rules for Returning Reservists
* Federal
vs. Connecticut FMLA Laws
FSA - Flexible Spending
- An FSA allows employees to have money dedducted tax-free from their
paychecks for qualified out-of-pocket medical expenses (and child care
expenses, if the employer so wishes). Most types of medical, dental and
vision expenses are reimbursable, but not the employee’s
portion
of health insurance premiums. The employee must decide before the year
begins how much money will be deducted over the next 12 months. Any
money left over at the end of that period reverts to the employer.
* IRS
Publication 969 - FSA
* IRS
Publication 502 Medical and Dental Expenses
* IRS
Publication 503 Child and Dependent Care Expenses
* IRS
Notice 2006-69 Proposed Dependent Care Regulation - May 24, 2006
--- Alert
- December 15, 2006
* Section
125 Explanation
* Section
125 Regulation
Health
Site Guide
 Health Site Guide
makes it easier for you to find the healthcare information you need,
and interact with others who might have similar concerns. We provide
you with professional, unbiased overviews of many of today's healthcare
websites. We do not rate or review websites, but simply explain them.
Our goal is to get you the information you need faster and in greater
detail, by guiding you to one of more relevant websites that address
your concerns.
HIPAA -
Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act
* Frequently
Asked Questions
* Summary
* Fact
Sheet
* Consumer
Tri-fold
* Major
Provisions
HRA -
Health Reimbursement Arrangement -
An HRA is similar to an HSA, but only employers – not
employees
– contribute to the plan. Funds in an HRA are available to
reimburse employees for qualified medical expenses. As with an HSA, the
account is usually paired with a high-deductible health plan. Once the
employee’s deductible is reached, normal coverage begins. Any
unused funds are rolled over at the end of the year, but remain with
the employer and do not follow the employee if he or she changes jobs.
There is no statutory limit on annual contributions, but employers
typically set limits at or below the amount of the plan deductible.
* Treasury
and IRS Issue Guidance on Health Reimbursement
* IRS
Publication 969- HRA
* IRS
Publication 502 (2005) Medical and Dental Expenses
HSA -
Health Savings Account -
An HSA is a type of health insurance offering that combines a
tax-preferred savings account with a high-deductible health insurance
plan. The goal of an HSA is to provide affordable coverage while making
employees more cost conscious in their use of health services. Any
employer can offer an HSA, and both employers and employees can
contribute to it. A self-employed or unemployed person can set up his
or her own plan. Employees must pay for all services until the amount
of the deductible is reached (a minimum of $1,100 for an individual and
$2,200 for family coverage in 2007). Employees can withdraw money from
an HSA to cover the cost of services until the deductible amount is
reached. Then normal coverage begins. Any unused funds are rolled over
at the end of the year. If the employee changes jobs, he or she can
take the HSA to the next employer.
* Department
of Treasury HSA Reference
* Comparison
of FSA, HRA, HSA
* Answering
Your Questions About HSA's
* IRS
Publication 969- HSA
* IRS
Publication 502 (2005) Medical and Dental Expenses
* IRS
Field Assistance Bulletin 2006-02
Insurance
Partnership
 A program funded by
the Commonwealth
of Massachusetts to help small
businesses and their employees pay for health insurance. It
can
also help the self employed.
Effective
October 1, 2006:
As part of the Massachusetts Health Care Reform, a few changes have
recently occurred with the Insurance Partnership program. If
you
employ under 50 employees or self-employed, the Insurance Partnership
will help subsidize the cost of group health insurance for an employee
(with or without dependents) that meets the newly revised income
guidelines.
This offer is only available to new hires or employees who have not
been offered health insurance by their current employer in the past six
months, and not been eligible for health insurance through their
spouses' employer in the past six months.
Unfortunately,
the newly revised income guidelines can not be applied to existing
employees who meet the financial guidelines for the Insurance
Partnership.
* www.4ip.org
* Employer
Eligibility Requirements
* Employee
Eligibility Requirements
* Download
Documents/Forms
InsureU
 Get
Smart About Insurance - The National Association of Insurance
Commissioners (NAIC) has created the Insure U — Get Smart
About
Insurance program to help consumers make educated decisions.
* www.insureuonline.org
---College
Health Insurance Needs
---Tips
for Buying Life Insurance
---Protecting
Small Businesses from Fraudulent Health Plans
LeapFrog
Group
 LeapFrog
For Consumers - Leapfrog gathers and reports information on hospital
quality and patient safety efforts to help patients make informed
decisions about where to receive hospital care. Use the search function
below to get information on hospitals in your area.
*Leapfrog
Hospital Quality & Safety Results
Life and
Health Insurance Foundation for Education
 This website is a
one-stop resource for information about life,
health, disability, and long-term care insurance, the essential role of
these products as part of a sound financial plan.
* www.life-line.org
Massachusetts
Commonwealth Health Insurance Connector Authority
 An independent
authority created, under Chapter 58 of the Acts of
2006, as part of the sweeping reform designed to increase access to
health care in Massachusetts. The Connector serves as a bridge
between eligible individuals, small employers, and health plans to
promote affordable private health insurance to uninsured residents of
Massachusetts.
* www.mass.gov/connector
Medicare & Medicaid
* Massachusetts
Medicare Part D Resource Center
* The
Official U.S. Government Website for People with Medicare
* Medicare
and You 2007 - Official government handbook for information
about what's new,
what's covered, health
plans, prescription plans, and your rights.
* Talking
About Medicare: Your Guide to Understanding the Program - 2007
- Kaiser Family Foundation
* Medicare
Prescription Drug Plan Guide - How To Choose Your 2007 Plan -
HealthDecisions.org
Medicare Part D Prescription Drug
Plan Creditable Coverage Disclosure
 Plan
sponsors must notify Medicare Part D-eligible individuals who
receive prescription drug coverage under their plans whether their
coverage qualifies as creditable drug coverage prior to the start of
the annual Medicare Part D enrollment period for the upcoming calendar
year. These notices must be provided before November 15th
each year.
* Overview
* Alert
* Disclosure
to CMS Form
* Guidance
& Model Notices for use after February 15, 2007
* Medicare
Prescription Drug Benefit Fact Sheet - Kaiser Family
Foundation - November 2006
National Committee for Quality Assurance (NCQA)
 NCQA
is a private, non-profit organization whose mission is to improve
health care quality. The organization measures and reports on various
aspects of performance and offers a range of accreditation and
certification programs for different entities and individual physicians.
* www.ncqa.org
* Best
Health Plans of 2007
(posted by U.S. News & World Report)
* Best
Hospitals 2007
(posted by U.S. News & World Report)
Plan For
Your Health
 Plan for Your Health,
a new public education campaign from Aetna and the Financial Planning
Association, gives you the information you need to make health benefits
and financial choices that meet your needs now and in the future.
Health care options can be very confusing and it's important to
understand them, especially now that many employers are giving you more
control of your benefit choices.
* Navigating
Your Health Benefits
Interactive
* Navigating
Your Health Benefits for
Dummies
* Your
Health Benefits Priorities
* Health
Retirement Readiness
* Health
Insurance 101
POP -
Premium Only Plans
Premium Only Plans under IRS Section 125 allows employees to
make
contributions toward their insurance premiums (and that of any
dependents) in pre-tax dollars. Employees save on Federal, State and
Social Security taxes (FICA), while the employer enjoys lower Social
Security and worker’s compensation expenses.
* Section
125 Explanation
* Section
125 Regulation
* Section
125 Handbook for Employers subject to Massachusetts Health
Care Reform
Uniformed
Services Employment and Reemployment Rights Act (USERRA)
USERRA protects the job rights of individuals who voluntarily or
involuntarily leave employment positions to undertake military service
or certain types of service in the National Disaster Medical System.
USERRA also prohibits employers from discriminating against past and
present members of the uniformed services, and applicants to the
uniformed services.
* General
* Fact
Sheet
* Notification
Poster for Non-Federal Employers - REVISED January 2006
* Frequently
Asked Questions
* DOL
Issues Final Rules Interpreting USERRA
* Sharing
the Spotlight w/COBRA: Don't Forget Health Care Continuation
Rights under USERRA
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