Employee Wellness 
Provide your employees with the latest wellness newsletter with the January edition of Live Well, Work Well.
Educate employees about their benefits with the January Benefits & Me Newsletter.
Newly Passed Legislation Modifies ACA Reporting Requirements
On December 23, 2024, President Biden signed two bills into law that will streamline ACA reporting requirements. Under these reporting rules, certain employers and health coverage providers must provide information to the IRS about the health plan coverage they offer (or do not offer) to their employees and related statements to individuals regarding their health plan coverage.
Changes to the ACA reporting requirements include:
- Individual Statements Only Required Upon Request
- Electronic Consent for Individual Statements
- Substituting Birth Dates for TINs
- ACA Pay-or-Play Provisions
Please click here to learn more.
Medicare News
Telemedicine for Seniors Gets a Last-Minute Reprieve
Big Changes Retirees Can Expect from Social Security and Medicare in 2025
Easily Track Unemployment Claims
The Towne Benefits HR and Compliance Team periodically receives questions from our employer clients about unemployment claims made by their former employees. A recent example: “How will we be notified that someone has made an unemployment claim?”
Until recently, mail and telephone have been the common, but not always efficient, means of communication. But did you know that both Virginia and North Carolina have unemployment portals for employers that enable you to log in and see who has filed a claim, monitor claim status, and a wealth of other information?
Virginia: State Information Data Exchange Systems (SIDES)
North Carolina: NCSUITS
HR and Compliance Insights 
Telehealth Exception has Expired for Calendar-year HDHP HSA Plans
Changes to HIPAA Security Rule to Strengthen Cybersecurity for Electronic PHI
Court Rejects New Notice Requirement for Fixed Indemnity Coverage
Upcoming ACA Reporting Deadlines
Employers subject to ACA reporting under Internal Revenue Code Sections 6055 or 6056 should prepare to comply with reporting deadlines in early 2025. For the 2024 calendar year, covered employers must:
- Furnish statements to individuals by March 3, 2025 (an alternative method of furnishing statements to covered individuals is available in certain situations); and
- File returns with the IRS electronically by March 31, 2025 (or by February 28, 2025, if filing on paper). Employers that file at least 10 returns during the calendar year must file electronically.
If you have questions about ACA reporting, please refer to our recent ALE and Self-Funded webinars.