Welcome to HCR Central, an online resource provided by Burnham Benefits to keep you informed about health care reform after the passage of the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act and the Health Care and Education Reconciliation Act of 2010, signed into law by President Obama on March 23 and March 30, respectively.

Recent Publications

Health Care Reform: Preventive Care Guidelines for Women

August 2011 - The Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (PPACA) requires non-grandfathered health plans to cover preventive health services without imposing cost-sharing requirements for the services. PPACA’s preventive care mandate is generally effective for plan years beginning on or after Sept. 23, 2010. Read more

Cafeteria Plan Amendment – OTC Drugs and Medicines

June 2011 - As previously reported, beginning January 1, 2011, expenses incurred for medicines or drugs may be reimbursed from a health care flexible spending arrangement (FSA), health savings account (HSA), Archer medical savings account (Archer MSA) or health reimbursement arrangement (HRA) only if the medicine or drug requires a prescription, the drug is available over-the-counter but the individual obtains a prescription, or the drug is insulin. Read more

Health Care Reform: Form W‐2 Reporting Requirements Published

April 2011 - The Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (PPACA) requires employers to report the aggregate cost of employer‐ sponsored group health plan coverage on their employees’ Forms W‐2. The purpose of the reporting requirement is to provide information to employees regarding how much their health coverage costs. Read more

California State Tax Issue – Up to Age 26 Coverage

April 2011 - On April 7, 2011, California Governor Brown signed Assembly Bill (AB 36) which conforms California state law with federal law to allow tax exclusions or deductions for employers providing health care coverage to dependents under age 27. The bill offers relief from imputing state income back to March 30, 2010, which is the date on which federal tax laws changed to waive dependency requirements for children up to age 26. Please see the attached reprint of our November 19, 2010 HCR Pathways which discussed this issue in greater detail. Read more

California State Tax Issue –
Up to Age 26 Coverage Will It Stay or Will It Go?

March 2011 - On November 19, 2010, Burnham Benefits addressed the California taxation issue in an HCR Pathways document. As we sit here today, the issue still exists. However, California Assembly Bill 36 (AB36), which will bring state income taxes into line with federal changes under the PPACA, is currently pending and moving through the California legislature at a rapid pace. Read more

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