Employee Wellness 
Provide your employees with the latest wellness newsletter with the February edition of Live Well, Work Well. Also available in Spanish.
Educate employees about their benefits with the February Benefits & Me Newsletter.
Reminder: ACA Reporting Deadlines
Employers subject to Affordable Care Act (ACA) reporting under Internal Revenue Code Sections 6055 or 6056 should prepare to comply with reporting deadlines in early 2023. For the 2022 calendar year, covered employers must:
- Furnish statements to individuals by March 2, 2023; and
- File returns with the IRS by February 28, 2023 (or March 31, 2023, if filing electronically).
The following employers are subject to ACA reporting under Sections 6055 and 6056:
- Employers with self-insured health plans (Section 6055 reporting)
- Applicable large employers (ALEs) with either fully insured or self-insured health plans (Section 6056 reporting). ALEs are employers with 50 or more full-time employees.
Medicare News
What to Know About New Rules that Eliminate Coverage Gaps
Why do so Many Older Adults Choose Medicare Advantage?
Medicare Negotiating Drug Prices will Likely Save the U.S. Billions
Bon Secours & Optima Network Termination
Bon Secours has initiated a termination with Optima Health and has declined multiple requests to extend the contract beyond March 1, 2023. Certain Bon Secours hospitals, ancillary providers and physicians, and select specialists in the Tidewater and Richmond areas will no longer be covered in-network for care received on or after March 1, 2023. A letter regarding this matter was sent to members on January 24, 2023.
For now, members can continue to use all Bo Secours facilities and providers with no change in coverage. However, if an agreement is not reached, members on HMO plans will no longer have coverage for select Bon Secours hospitals, ancillary providers, and physicians in Tidewater and Richmond after March 1. PPO and POS members accessing services from select Bon Secours hospitals, ancillary providers and physicians will do so under their out-of-network benefit, resulting in a higher out-of-pocket cost.
Optima's care management team will follow the standard transition of care protocols for members with approved prior authorizations, in their 2nd or 3rd trimester of pregnancy, in active treatment for chronic or acute medical conditions, or with hospitalizations. They have identified members who have accessed services through an impacted Bon Secours facility or provider and will work with these members to find alternatives for their care, if necessary.
To find providers in the Optima network, members can look online. Bon Secours hospitals will still display as in-network in the online and print directories up until the termination on March 1. Optima's contractual relationships with other facilities and providers are not impacted, including:
- Rappahannock General Hospital
- Southside Regional Medical Center
- Southampton Memorial Hospital
- Southern Virginia Medical Center
HR Insights
End of COVID-19 Emergency Period
End of COVID-19 Emergency Periods
On January 30, 2023, the Biden administration released a statement announcing its plans to end the COVID-19 public health emergency (PHE) and national emergency on May 11, 2023. The COVID-19 PHE and national emergency were declared in early 2020 and are currently set to expire on March 1, 2023, and April 11, 2023, respectively. The Biden administration intends to extend the emergency periods until May 11, 2023, and then end both periods on that date.
The end of the COVID-19 emergency periods triggers the end of numerous emergency measures related to the federal government’s pandemic response, including some requirements for employer-sponsored health plans. For example, when the PHE ends, health plans will no longer be required to cover COVID-19 diagnostic tests and related services without cost sharing. Non-grandfathered health plans will still be required to cover recommended preventive services, including COVID-19 immunizations, without cost-sharing; however, this coverage requirement will be limited to
in-network providers.
To learn how this impacts vaccines, telehealth, at-home tests and more, please click here. When we receive additional details from our carrier partners we will share them with you.
The information herein should not be construed as legal or tax advice in any way. This content is provided for informational purposes only. You should seek the advice of your attorney or tax consultant for additional or specific information.