A federal spending bill enacted at the end of 2019 included several provisions affecting benefit plans. The bill repealed three major taxes and fees under the Affordable Care Act (ACA)—the Cadillac tax, the medical devices excise tax and the health insurance providers fee. The law also extended the PCORI fees for an additional 10 years. […]
OVERVIEW On Dec. 18, 2019, a federal appeals court ruled in Texas v. Azar that the Affordable Care Act’s (ACA) individual mandate is unconstitutional due to the elimination of the individual mandate penalty in 2019. The appeals court remanded the case to the lower court to determine whether the rest of the ACA can remain […]
The Background In 2017, Equifax, one of the largest credit reporting agencies in the United States, was the victim of a massive cyber attack—an attack that compromised the personal information of approximately 147 million people. On July 22, 2019, the company agreed to pay at least $575 million—and up to $700 million—as part of a […]
While you may think your business would never be the victim of theft, the harsh reality is that nearly every business can become a victim. In this day and age, thieves (including your employees) do not need direct access to cash to steal from you—merchandise, supplies and securities are all fair game. While standard commercial […]
From hiring new workers to assigning duties, each of your decisions affects employees in a unique way. Although these actions are critical to running your business, they also create exposures that could lead to costly claims by employees or governmental regulators. Even if they are not warranted, claims for wrongful employment practices can disrupt operations, […]
Cloud computing is transforming the IT landscape. It eliminates the need for businesses to invest in standalone servers and software that are capital intensive but not in use a majority of the time. It reduces overhead costs, such as management, IT personnel, data storage, bandwidth and power. And it can stretch or shrink to meet […]
The 2015 calendar year has seen more than its share of crippling data breaches. But the most reported and discussed are only a few of the epic and ever-growing number of breaches occurring each year. Some prime examples include the theft of: background checks of 22 million federal employees from the Office of Personal Management; […]
Coverage gaps can often prove fatal to organizations of many shapes and sizes. While this is known to many business owners in an abstract sense, we’d like to make it more concrete. How much can it really cost to have gaps in your coverages? Which coverages are most often overlooked? Which are most costly? Two […]
Millions of liability-related lawsuits are filed each year, costing businesses billions of dollars. With a median sticker price of over $50,000, each liability suit is like a ticking time-bomb. Though many may be settled outside of court, businesses around the country are crippled every year by the burden of paying legal fees, settlement costs, and […]
Cyber attacks are growing increasingly prevalent and menacing throughout California and across the country. Businesses of all shapes and sizes have proven susceptible, and massive quantities of data have been compromised. And while there are a number of steps that can be taken to reduce the likelihood that cyber attackers will be successful in penetrating […]