<img height="1" width="1" style="display:none;" alt="" src="https://dc.ads.linkedin.com/collect/?pid=118459&amp;fmt=gif">

Employee Benefit News for School, City and County Employers

Steve Smith

Steve Smith, Employee Benefits Consultant for National Insurance Services, has his energy level permanently set at “high.” His maxim is “work hard, play hard.” Steve’s an expert in getting groups of people working together for a higher cause. Minnesota schools, cities, and counties rely on Steve’s unique and creative ideas of engaging employees in their own health and wellness to lower utilization trends. He has 20+ years in the health insurance field doing compliance, cost mitigation, utilization, analytics, wellness plans, and strategic planning. Steve is a licensed insurance agent and holds the designations for Managed Healthcare Professional (The Health Insurance Association of America), Certified Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act Professional (National Association of Health Underwriters), and Group Benefits Disability Specialist (Hartford School of Insurance). He specializes in Employee Benefits Consulting for Minnesota schools, cities, and counties including fully insured, self-insured, and stop-loss plans.

Recent Articles by Steve Smith

Executive Orders Address Health Care Access

1.5 minute read

President Biden recently signed some executive actions to strengthen our access to affordable health care.

Minnesota Schools: Are you ready for HITA?

Revised February 2024

3.5 minute read

If you’re a school district in Minnesota, you might be getting ready to fulfill your Health Insurance Transparency and Accountability (HITA) statutory...

New FMLA Guidance Includes Using Telemedicine as an In-Person Visit

1.5 minute read

The U.S. Department of Labor (DOL) published a Field Assistance Bulletin to provide guidance about using telemedicine to establish a serious health condition under the Family and...

EEOC Updates Guidance Regarding Mandatory Vaccinations, ADA, and COVID-19

2 minute read

The Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) has issued answers to frequently asked questions regarding how employers should comply with the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA),...

Categories

PCORI Fee Adjusted for 2021

1 minute read

The Affordable Care Act imposes a fee on health insurance issuers and self-insured plan sponsors in order to fund comparative effectiveness research. These fees are called PCORI fees...

Categories

Final Rule Issued for Health Care Transparency

1.5 minute read

The Department of Labor, Health and Human Services, and the Treasury Department issued the final ruling regarding the transparency in health care coverage for group health plans and...

Categories

Final Forms for 2020 ACA Reporting

2 minute read

The Internal Revenue Service (IRS) has released the final forms and instructions for 2020 reporting under Sections 6055 and 6056.

Payroll Tax Deferment Ordered

1.5 minute read

President Trump recently ordered the Treasury Department to defer collecting certain payroll taxes from September 1 to December 31, 2020. The payroll taxes will need to be recouped at...

New Executive Order Expands Telehealth Benefits

1.5 minute read

President Trump’s latest executive order is aimed at improving telemedicine and health care access for those who live in rural areas. Telehealth benefits are also expanded for...

Hospital Transparency Rule Upheld

1 minute read

A district judge ruled in favor of President Trump’s final rule which requires hospitals to disclose their negotiated prices starting January 1, 2021.