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Articles by Melissa Maher
Dump Day: What Are You Breaking Up with at Work?
Valentine’s Day is over—the chocolates have been eaten, the roses are wilting, and now it’s time for a different kind of relationship check-in. Enter National Dump Day—originally created for those calling it quits before February 14th, but it’s not just about romance. This unofficial holiday is the perfect excuse to break up with habits, commitments, and professional baggage that no longer serve you.
IRS announces 2025 HSA/HDHP and excepted benefit HRA limits - Buck
by and Tags: Conformité, Health The IRS has released the HSA and HDHP limits for 2025. The annual contribution limits, minimum deductible, and out-of-pocket amounts all increased over the 2024 limits. The 2025 excepted benefit HRA amount increased as well. Plan sponsors with an HDHP offering should ensure that the deductibles comply with the new minimum amounts. Download this FYI as a printable PDF.
Medicare Part D: Final calendar year 2025 Part D Redesign Program Instructions provide needed clarifications - Buck
CMS released its Medicare Part D payment policies for 2025, as well as the Final CY 2025 Part D Redesign Program Instructions. This builds on the Draft CY 2025 Part D Redesign Program Instructions that were released by CMS on January 31. Download this FYI as a printable PDF.
San Francisco HCSO and FCO annual report due by May 3 - Buck
by and Tags: Compliance, Health San Francisco requires covered employers to make minimum healthcare expenditures on behalf of their San Francisco employees and to comply with certain requirements regarding the use of arrest and conviction records in hiring and other employment decisions. Covered employers must report each year on compliance with both of these requirements. The next report for 2023 is due by May 3. Download this FYI as a printable PDF.
Medicare Part D: Maintaining creditable coverage may prove difficult for some employer sponsored plans in 2025 - Buck
The Inflation Reduction Act of 2022 (IRA) provided for gradual improvements to Medicare Part D benefits beginning in 2023. A $2,000 cap on out-of-pocket expenses for prescription drugs will apply, effectively making the benefit available through Medicare more generous and potentially impacting the creditable status of employer sponsored plans. Download this FYI as a printable PDF.
Medicare Part D creditable coverage disclosures due to CMS February 29 - Buck
Group health plan sponsors that provide prescription drug coverage to individuals eligible for Medicare Part D must disclose whether that coverage is “creditable” or “non-creditable.” The disclosure is required even if prescription drug coverage is only offered to active employees and not retirees. Calendar year plans must submit their disclosure by February 29 this year due to leap year. Download this FYI as a printable PDF.
Planning for 2024: Compliance for health and welfare benefit plans (updated) - Buck
by , and Tags: Compliance, Health This article has been updated to include 2024 benefit limits and the compliance calendar was adjusted to reflect the leap year. With 2024 on the horizon, plan sponsors should be aware of health and welfare compliance topics they may need to act on in the coming year. This planner provides a discussion of key issues for consideration and a calendar outlining important deadlines. Download this FYI as a printable PDF.
Phocuswright: 4 Tech Takeaways for Women in Travel
The Phocuswright Conference drew thousands of leading travel professionals to the Diplomat Beach Resort in Hollywood, Florida, for three days of panel discussions, executive interviews and lots of networking. First a two part series, where hertelier correspondents Melissa Maher and Stacy Silver report conference highlights with a #feminist slant! Buzzing with the vibrancy of innovation, Phocuswright showcased diverse new startups, and provided ample opportunities for impactful networking.
IRS updates PCORI fee amount for certain payments due in 2024 - Buck
by and Tags: Compliance, Health The IRS has announced that the amount used to calculate the PCORI fee for plan years ending on or after October 1, 2023, but before October 1, 2024, including 2023 calendar year plans, is $3.22 per covered life. For 2023 plan years ending on or before September 30, 2023, the PCORI fee due in 2023 remains at $3.00 per covered life.
IRS announces some 2024 benefit plan limits - Buck
by and Tags: Career, Compliance, Engagement, Health, Wealth – Corporate and Government The IRS has issued Revenue Procedure 2023-34, which contains 2024 limits for health flexible spending arrangements, qualified transportation fringe benefits, adoption assistance programs, and long-term care premiums. Download this FYI Alert as a printable PDF.
Planning for 2024: Compliance for health and welfare benefit plans - Buck
by , and Tags: Compliance, Health With 2024 on the horizon, plan sponsors should be aware of health and welfare compliance topics they may need to act on in the coming year. This planner provides a discussion of key issues for consideration and a calendar outlining important deadlines. Download this FYI as a printable PDF.
No Surprises Act: Gag clause attestation due December 31 - Buck
by and Tags: Compliance, Health The gag clause prohibition of the No Surprises Act (NSA) requires group health plans and health insurance issuers to submit a Gag Clause Prohibition Compliance Attestation (GCPCA) by December 31 and annually thereafter. The prohibition on gag clauses restricts plans and issuers from entering into contracts that would preclude disclosures of certain information. Download this FYI as a printable PDF.
IRS releases ACA shared responsibility affordability percentage for 2024 - Buck
by and Tags: Compliance, Health The IRS has released the 2024 contribution percentage used to determine whether employer-sponsored coverage is affordable for purposes of ACA premium tax credit eligibility and for employer shared responsibility assessments. The percentage will drop from 9.12% for 2023 to 8.39% for 2024. Employers should consider this affordability percentage in developing their 2024 contribution strategies.
Sanctify what we do here: A Service for the Consecration of a Church Building
This article is the twelfth article in a series we're calling "A Good and Joyful Thing: A series on liturgical spirituality." We hope this series takes you on an imaginative “travelogue” at various worship services in a local United Methodist church where the liturgy is treasured.
Waking up to God's dream
Time to stop hitting the snooze button. The hour has come to wake up from the slumber of the same or the coma of over-functioning, bone-aching exhaustion. For 15 years I’ve pastored the local church with the last three years being the most difficult. We’ve all felt the weariness of the unprecedented. The constant pivoting, denominational arguments and polarizing divisions have rendered us dazed to the reality of God’s new thing springing forth. Will we wake up? In April 2023 I heard Drs.
Open Enrollment: Engaging, Educating, Compliant?
An important (though often overlooked) aspect of open enrollment is compliance. Buck’s Melissa Maher offers steps compliance and HR professionals can take to ensure an engaging, educating and compliant experience for employees. Now is the time of year when HR professionals begin to think about open enrollment for their health and welfare plans.
Package Bookings: Learnings From the Top Packages Markets
By Melissa Maher Last year, Expedia Group released findings that showed package bookings deliver higher ADR and RevPAR, had twice the booking window length, and half the cancellations of standalone bookings. These insights showed unequivocally that hotels should be leveraging packages as a channel for their bookings. This year, Expedia Group refreshed its global packages data for full year 2017, reflecting tens of millions of packages booked, comparing it once again to standalone bookings.
Package Bookings: Learnings from the Top Packages Markets
Package bookings offer many benefits, to hotels and travelers, and to get the most value from packages, hotels should know their top origins markets, both domestically and abroad. You can then look at the specific bookings habits that each origin brings: do they tend to book 5-star or 3-star? Prefer beach or city properties? Are they sightseers, shoppers or both?
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