December 3, 2009

Decrease of 7.5 cents in the 2010 Medical Mileage Rate

May 18, 2009

WASHINGTON—The Senate Finance Committee will discuss controversial options that include curbing the tax-favored status of employer-provided health care coverage, wiping out health care flexible spending accounts and placing new restrictions on health spending accounts when it meets Wednesday.

May 13, 2009

WASHINGTON—Changing the tax-favored status of employer-provided health care coverage could make the system fairer, according to Senate Finance Committee Chairman Max Baucus, D-Mont.

March 19, 2009

The Department of Labor released model notices for the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 COBRA subsidy.

February 17, 2009

The American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 (ARRA) provides for a 65% reduction in COBRA premiums for certain assistance eligible individuals for up to nine months.

December 1, 2008

Effective January 1, 2009, the optional standard mileage rate for medical and moving purposes has decreased from the current rate.

October 16, 2008

The qualified transportation monthly limits for 2009 are increased to $120 for commuter transit and $230 for parking. (See Rev. Proc. 2008-66.)

September 4, 2008

The purpose of this notice is to delay the effective date of Revenue Ruling 2006-57, 2006-2 C.B. 911. Revenue Ruling 2006-57 provides guidance to employers on the use of smartcards, debit or credit cards, or other electronic media to provide qualified transportation fringes under Internal Revenue Code §§ 132(a)(5) and 132(f).

July 16, 2008

The Internal Revenue Service (IRS) and the U.S. Treasury Department have issued Proposed Regulations regarding Health Savings Accounts (HSAs).

June 27, 2008

Due to recent gasoline price increases, the IRS has announced in Announcement 2008-63 dated June 24, 2008, an eight-cent mid-year increase in the standard mileage rate for calculating the cost of using an automobile to obtain medical care.

May 1, 2008

The new 2009 maximum annual HSA contribution has been raised to $3000 for individuals with self-only coverage and to $5950 for family coverage.

August 1, 2007

On August 3, 2006, the U.S. Treasury Department and the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) released proposed regulations regarding cafeteria plans. These rules replace the previously-proposed and temporary regulations issued intermittently between May 1984 and March 2000.