News

Various Disclosures Permitted without Individual Authorization Employers are reminded that the federal Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) permits disclosures of an individual’s health information for workers’ compensation purposes. Most notably, HIPAA permits covered entities–including health care providers and their business associates–to disclose the health information of an individual to workers’ compensation insurers, employers, state […]

Effective July 1, the minimum wage is increasing in the following states and localities: Maryland: $9.25 per hour Oregon: $10.25 per hour ($11.25 per hour in the Portland metropolitan area; $10.00 per hour in nonurban counties) Los Angeles, CA: $12.00 per hour for employers with 26 or more employees; $10.50 per hour for employers with […]

Electronic Data Collection System to Launch by August 1, 2017 The federal Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) has issued a proposed rule seeking to extend the date by which certain employers are required to electronically submit the information from their completed 2016 Forms 300A. The proposed rule would change the submission date from July […]

On Tuesday, June 28th, our Marketing Director, Maggie-Mae Laufman, and our President/Broker, Bryan Hummitzsch, donated a check on behalf of the SCV Business Marketing Group to Operation Gratitude. The money was raised at the groups Charity Wine Tasting Event, which was held on May 23rd, 2017. “It was truly an honor to deliver the check […]

Employers Must Withhold Tax for High Earners The Affordable Care Act’s Additional Medicare Tax applies to an individual’s wages that exceed a threshold amount based on his or her filing status ($250,000 for married taxpayers who file jointly, $125,000 for married taxpayers who file separately and $200,000 for all other taxpayers). The following are five […]

This past Wednesday, June 21st, the SCV Chamber’s After Hours Mixer was hosted at Mercedes-Benz of Valencia. Our benefits broker, Betsy Keesler, was rockin’ the party. Check out more events coming up at the SCV Chamber by visiting www.scvchamber.com  

Tips for Responding to Cyber-Related Security Incidents The Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) Office of Civil Rights (OCR) has released a quick-response checklist briefly describing the steps that HIPAA-covered entities (including medical and dental offices) and their business associates should take in response to a cyber-related security incident. Steps include: Executing the entity’s […]

When it comes to business insurance, a lot of businesses search online and just grab onto the first policy their shown, but they don’t take the time to research and get to know their brokers. We here at Applied Resource Insurance Solutions not only find you multiple coverages that fit your needs, and let YOU […]

A growing number of clinical experts believe medical marijuana could play a critical role in reducing the nation’s reliance on opioid painkillers. Publications like The Atlantic have reported that in states in which legalization has occurred, patients are now turning down popular opioid painkillers, like oxycodone, in favor of medical marijuana — and according to […]

Medicare-Eligible Employees Ineligible to Receive Premium Tax Credits Under the Affordable Care Act (ACA), Medicare-eligible individuals are ineligible to receive premium tax credits. As a result, employers with Medicare-eligible employees should consider how those employees may impact their potential liability under the ACA’s employer shared responsibility provisions (also known as “pay or play”). Medicare-Eligible Employees […]