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Your Monthly
Newsletter from Integrated Benefit Solutions
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June 2019
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Final Notice of Benefit and Payment Parameters for
2020
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 Recently,
the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) released its final Notice of Benefit
and Payment Parameters for 2020. This proposed rule
describes benefit and payment parameters under the Affordable Care
Act (ACA) that would be applicable for the 2020 benefit year.
Standards included in the rule relate to:
- Annual limitations on cost
sharing
- The individual mandate’s
affordability exemption
- Direct enrollment in the Exchanges
- Special enrollment periods
(SEP) in the Exchanges
HHS
also sought comments on issues to address in the future, such as
the practice of “silver loading,” the automatic re-enrollment
process through the Exchanges and any additional measures that
would reduce eligibility errors and potential government
misspending. HHS noted that it intends to take the comments
received in response to the proposed rule into consideration in
future rulemaking.
Notable
Changes for 2020
The out-of-pocket maximum (OOPM) will increase, and the ACA’s
affordability exemption threshold will decrease for 2020.
- OOPM: $8,150 for self-only
coverage and $16,300 for family coverage
- Affordability threshold:
8.24% of household income
The
final rule also enhances direct enrollment through the Exchanges
and establishes a new SEP for the Exchanges.
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Lowest Unemployment in Decades
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 Job
figures continued to rise in April, officially bringing
unemployment to its lowest in 50 years—3.6%, according to the
Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS).
Primary job gains occurred in the health and business services
sectors, with respectable growth in construction as well.
With over 150,000 jobs being added each month, on average,
employment growth shows no signs of slowing down.
However, despite this upward trend, experts caution to expect
more modest job creation over the next few months.
Growth
by the Numbers
Unemployment fell across all categories tracked by the BLS.
Notably, unemployment rates for women and Hispanics dropped to
record lows for the first time since 1953 and 1973, respectively.
But not all workers are feeling the economic gains. Long-term unemployment
is still high, and the number of part-time workers looking to
work full-time remains steady, according to experts.
Employer
Takeaway
The labor market is tightening up, but it’s not tapped out. This
means now is the time to attract talent and retain your current
workforce.
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DOL Issues Opinion Letter on Gig Worker
Classification
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 In
the growing “gig economy,” individuals perform jobs on a one-off
or short-term basis, typically through an online application or
job marketplace. On April 29, 2019, the Department of Labor (DOL)
issued an opinion letter
addressing whether individuals working for a virtual marketplace
company (VMC) are employees or independent contractors under the
Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA).
According to the DOL, the VMC described in the opinion letter
provides a referral service—it does not receive services from the
workers itself. As a result, the DOL clarifies that workers who
use the VMC to provide services are independent contractors.
This opinion letter indicates that the DOL generally classifies
gig workers as independent contractors. Opinion letters are
specific to the situations presented, but employers can look to
them for guidance on the DOL’s interpretation of the law.
The interpretation in this opinion letter may not apply to all
gig workers if their circumstances are substantially different
from the situation addressed in the letter.
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Hiring and Managing Seasonal Employees
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With the summer hiring season underway, employers
should begin thinking about how best to hire and manage seasonal
employees. Employers who do not dedicate time to these critical
steps risk having to face disgruntled employees, unhappy
customers, and even legal violations. To learn some best practices
for hiring and managing seasonal employees, please watch the
video below.
To learn how to attract top talent to your
company, visit our Recruitment
& Hiring section.
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