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EMPLOYEE BENEFITS BLOG
Insights on Employee Benefits and Executive Compensation
EMPLOYEE BENEFITS BLOG
Insights on Employee Benefits and Executive Compensation
Employee Benefits
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IRS Announces 2023 Employee Benefit Plan Limits

By , and on Oct 21, 2022
Posted In , , ,

The Internal Revenue Service (IRS) and the Social Security Administration announced the cost-of-living adjustments to the applicable dollar limits on various employer-sponsored retirement and welfare plans and the Social Security wage base for 2023. The table below compares the applicable dollar limits for certain employee benefit programs and the Social Security wage base for 2022 and 2023.*

RETIREMENT PLAN LIMITS (guidance link) 2022 Δ 2023 Annual compensation limit $305,000 ↑ $330,000 401(k), 403(b) & 457(b) before-tax contributions $20,500 ↑ $22,500 Catch-up contributions (if age 50 or older) $6,500 ↑ $7,500 Highly compensated employee threshold $135,000 ↑ $150,000 Key employee officer compensation threshold $200,000 ↑ $215,000 Defined benefit plan annual benefit and accrual limit $245,000 ↑ $265,000 Defined contribution plan annual contribution limit $61,000 ↑ $66,000 Employee stock ownership plan (ESOP) limit for determining the lengthening of the general five-year distribution period $245,000 ↑ $265,000 ESOP limit for determining the maximum account balance subject to the general five-year distribution period $1,230,000 ↑ $1,330,000 HEALTH AND WELFARE PLAN LIMITS (guidance links here and here) 2022 Δ 2023 Health Flexible Spending Accounts Maximum salary reduction limit $2,850 ↑ $3,050 Health FSA Carryover Limit $570 ↑ $610 Dependent Care Flexible Spending Accounts± If employee is married and filing a joint return or if the employee is a single parent $5,000 = $5,000 In employee is married but filing separately $2,500 = $2,500 Excepted Benefit Health Reimbursement Arrangements (EBHRAs) $1,800 ↑ $1,950± Qualified Transportation Fringe Benefit and Qualified Parking (monthly limit) $280 ↑ $300 High Deductible Health Plans (HDHP) and Health Savings Accounts (HSA) HDHP – Maximum annual out-of-pocket limit (excluding premiums): Self-only coverage $7,050 ↑ $7,500 Family coverage $14,100 ↑ $15,000 HDHP – Minimum annual deductible: Self-only coverage $1,400 ↑ $1,500 Family coverage $2,800 ↑ $3,000 HSA – Annual contribution limit: Self-only coverage $3,650 ↑ $3,850 Family coverage $7,300 ↑ $7,750 Catch-up contributions (age 55 or older)± $1,000 ═ $1,000 SOCIAL SECURITY WAGE BASE (guidance link) 2022 Δ 2023 Social Security Maximum Taxable Earnings $147,000 ↑ $160,200

 

Plan sponsors should update payroll and plan administration systems for the 2023 cost-of-living adjustments and should incorporate the new limits in relevant participant communications, like open enrollment materials and summary plan descriptions.

For further information about applying the new employee benefit plan limits for 2023, contact your regular McDermott lawyer.

* The dollar limits are generally applied on a calendar year basis; however, certain dollar limits are applied on a plan-year, tax-year, or limitation-year basis.

± Not indexed for cost-of-living adjustments, with the exception of limited guidance issued for certain years.



Monkeypox in the Workplace: Key Considerations for Employers

By and on Oct 18, 2022
Posted In , ,

With much about the potential impact and scope of monkeypox still unknown, employers should consider taking proactive steps now, as may be appropriate for their workforce, to enhance and reinforce the safety protocols already in place from the COVID-19 pandemic. In this Employee Relations Law Journal article, McDermott’s Michelle S. Strowhiro, Lindsay Ditlow and Priya Singh offer three key considerations for employers with respect to monkeypox.

Access the article.



Texas Judge Rules Against ACA Preventive Care Provisions

By on Oct 11, 2022
Posted In , ,

On September 7, 2022, a US district court judge for the Northern District of Texas issued a ruling that preventive care provisions in the Affordable Care Act (ACA) requiring private insurance plans to cover drugs that prevent HIV infection at no cost to patients violate religious rights.

The ACA requires that private insurers cover certain preventive health services, including STD screenings and HIV pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) prevention drugs. In his ruling, the judge found that that the rights of the employers that brought suit have been violated under the Religious Freedom Restoration Act by the requirement that they sponsor health insurance that covers sexual health services such as PrEP drugs that help prevent the spread of HIV.

It is not yet clear whether enforcement will occur immediately and whether coverage requirements will be blocked for just those who brought suit, for everyone in Texas or nationwide. The US Department of Health and Human (HHS) is expected to appeal the ruling.



How Employers, Insurers Are Coping with Abortion After Dobbs

By on Oct 4, 2022
Posted In , ,

The US Supreme Court’s ruling overturning Roe v. Wade has created more complexity to the country’s patchwork of abortion laws. In this Managed Healthcare Executive article, McDermott’s Sarah Raaii offers perspective about how insurers are navigating healthcare plans state-by-state.

Access the article.



CMS Announces 2023 Medicare Premiums and Deductibles

By on Oct 3, 2022
Posted In ,

On September 27, 2022, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) released 2023 premiums, deductibles and coinsurance amounts for Medicare Parts A and B, and the Medicare Part D income-related monthly adjustment amounts.

In 2023, the standard monthly premium for Medicare Part B enrollees will be $164.90, a decrease of $5.20 (from $170.10) in 2022, and the deductible for all Medicare Part B beneficiaries will be $226, a decrease of $7 (from $233) in 2022. The decreases stem from a decline in the price of an Alzheimer’s drug and limitations on its usage, as the Alzheimer’s drug was the main factor for the spike in monthly Part B premiums in 2022, according to CMS.

For Part A, the inpatient hospital deductible (which beneficiaries pay if admitted to the hospital) will be $1,600 in 2023, an increase of $44 from $1,556 in 2022.

For Part D, where higher income beneficiaries’ monthly premiums are adjusted based on income, CMS set forth the 2023 monthly adjustment amounts, beginning with beneficiaries with less than $97,000 in modified adjusted gross income (no monthly Part D adjustment) and incrementally increasing to a $76.40 monthly premium adjustment for those whose modified adjusted gross income is greater than $500,000.

Medicare open enrollment for 2023 begins on October 15 and ends on December 7.



A Light in the Dark: Seventh Circuit Helps Clarify New Pleading Standards for 401(k) Fee Cases

By , and on Sep 29, 2022
Posted In , , , ,

A recent US Court of Appeals for the Seventh Circuit case supplies answers to many questions left open in 401(k) fee litigation cases after the US Supreme Court’s ruling earlier this year in Hughes v. Northwestern University. Specifically, to survive a motion to dismiss in the Seventh Circuit, the recent ruling in Albert v. Oshkosh Corp. reiterated that plaintiffs must allege both high fees and substandard services or performance in comparison to other similar 401(k) plans.

Read more here.



CY 2023 Physician Fee Schedule Proposed Rule

By on Sep 28, 2022
Posted In ,

On July 7, 2022, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) released the CY 2023 Revisions to Payment Policies Under the Physician Fee Schedule and Other Revisions to Medicare Part B Proposed Rule, which was published in the Federal Register on July 29, 2022.

The proposed rule includes proposals related to Medicare physician payment and the Quality Payment Program. Physicians face proposed cuts of more than 4% under the proposed fee schedule, along with significant proposed changes to accountable care organizations. The proposed rule also includes the following proposals:

  • Launch the Merit-based Incentive Payment System (MIPS) Value Pathways as a voluntary option to the MIPS in 2023.
  • Permanently maintain certain services added to the telehealth list during the PHE; maintain certain services added as covered telehealth services but not given permanent or Category 3 status until 151 days post-PHE and add several codes as Category 3 telehealth codes, which are slated to remain covered until the end of CY 2023.
  • Delay the in-person requirements for telehealth services furnished for purposes of diagnosis, evaluation or treatment of a mental health disorder until the 152nd day after the PHE ends.
  • Expand access to, and address shortages of, behavioral services and health providers by allowing licensed professional counselors and licensed marriage and family therapists to bill Medicare under general supervision, and create a new billing code for general behavioral health integration services for clinical psychologists and clinical social workers when they are the focal point of integration; and
  • Implement initiatives promoting health equity.

For additional analysis of the CY 2023 Medicare Physician Fee Schedule proposed rule, see McDermott+Consulting’s article.



How the Overturning of Roe v. Wade May Affect US Employer Benefits Plans

By on Sep 22, 2022
Posted In , ,

The US Supreme Court’s decision to overturn Roe v. Wade has led to a flurry of confusion and questions from employers. In this Benefits Canada article, McDermott’s Sarah Raaii explains how some states are imposing criminal penalties for anyone who assists with abortion within their borders.

“If a court determines state abortion restrictions are generally applicable criminal laws, then potentially, ERISA (Employee Retirement Income Security Act) plans can be subject to criminal penalties if they provide abortion services, including travel benefits,” Raaii said.

Access the article.



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