Group Health Plan Coverage for Small Employers: Regulatory Compliance, Plan Design Options, and Alternatives
A live 90-minute premium CLE video webinar with interactive Q&A
This CLE webinar will provide guidance to employee benefits counsel on group health plan design options and challenges associated with the development and administration of group health plans for small employers. The panel will discuss issues that arise in connection with the design and administration of group health and welfare benefit plans maintained by small employers. The panel will also provide methods to maintain compliance with federal regulations, provisions for plan documents, handling participant claims, and available group health plan alternatives.
Outline
- Defining "small employer" or "small plan" under ERISA
- Preliminary issues in establishing a group health plan for small employers
- Plan design options and other factors to consider
- Group health pan alternatives
- Benefit plan administration and operation challenges
- Best practices and tips for ERISA counsel in advising small employers
Benefits
The panel will review these and other critical issues:
- Defining "small employer" under various regulations
- What plans can be offered by certain employers under federal law?
- Who can receive employee benefits?
- Plan design options, considerations, and alternatives
- Regulations and statutory requirements: the employer's role and responsibilities
- Retention and management of employee data and personnel files
- Use of third-party administrators
- Testing, distribution, and termination rules for qualified plans
Faculty
Alden J. Bianchi
Counsel
McDermott Will & Emery
Mr. Bianchi is the Practice Group Leader of the firm’s Employee Benefits & Executive Compensation Practice.... | Read More
Mr. Bianchi is the Practice Group Leader of the firm’s Employee Benefits & Executive Compensation Practice. He advises corporate, not-for-profit, governmental, and individual clients on a broad range of executive compensation and employee benefits issues, including qualified and non-qualified retirement plans, stock and stock-based compensation arrangements, ERISA fiduciary and prohibited transaction issues, benefit-related aspects of mergers and acquisitions, and health and welfare plans. Mr. Bianchi is nationally renowned for his advice on the Affordable Care Act's impact on employers. He represented the Romney administration in connection with the historic 2006 Massachusetts health care reform act. Mr. Bianchi has testified before the Senate Finance Committee on the subject of health care reform. His many published works include the Bloomberg/Bureau of National Affairs Health Care Reform Advisor, a comprehensive work on the impact of the Affordable Care Act on employers and employer-sponsored group health plans. Mr. Bianchi is also the current chair of the Bloomberg Tax Compensation Planning Journal Advisory Board.
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Sarah G. Raaii
Partner
McDermott Will & Emery
Ms. Raaii focuses her practice on employee benefits and matters related to health care reform, data privacy and HIPAA... | Read More
Ms. Raaii focuses her practice on employee benefits and matters related to health care reform, data privacy and HIPAA compliance, executive compensation, and health and welfare, cafeteria, 401(k), 403(b) and pension plans. She has experience counseling clients on regulatory compliance with the Affordable Care Act (ACA), Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA), Employee Retirement Income Security Act (ERISA), Consolidated Omnibus Budget Reconciliation Act (COBRA), Internal Revenue Code and related state and federal laws affecting employee benefit plans. Ms. Raaii assists clients with drafting employee benefit plan documents and amendments and represents clients before the Internal Revenue Service (IRS), US Department of Labor (DOL) and Pension Benefit Guaranty Corporation with respect to plan qualification issues. She also advises clients on employee benefits diligence, design, implementation and transition matters arising from corporate and private equity mergers and acquisitions. Prior to joining McDermott, Ms. Raaii worked for the National Economic Council at the White House, where she implemented the Affordable Care Act and developed the DOL fiduciary rule with leaders from the Executive Office of the President, the Department of Labor, the Department of Health and Human Services and the Department of the Treasury. She previously worked with in-house attorneys and federal and state government relations professionals in the Leadership Development Program of a Fortune 500 global insurance and financial services corporation.
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Teal N. Trujillo
Attorney
McDermott Will & Emery
Ms. Trujillo focuses her practice on employee benefits and executive compensation matters for public and private... | Read More
Ms. Trujillo focuses her practice on employee benefits and executive compensation matters for public and private companies. She regularly leads due diligence and advises on liability related to retirement plans, health and welfare plans and executive compensation in stock purchase and asset purchase transactions. Ms. Trujillo is a specialist on matters related to tax-qualified pension plans, health and welfare plans and deferred compensation arrangements, she also has experience handling correction and administrative matters before the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) and the Department of Labor (DOL). Ms. Trujillo advises plan sponsors in a wide range of industries, from Fortune 500 companies to health service providers and tax-exempt organizations.
CloseEarly Discount (through 04/25/25)