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	<title>EMA Group Benefits</title>
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	<link>http://totalbenefits.biz/wordpress</link>
	<description>Total Benefit Solutions</description>
	<lastBuildDate>Wed, 02 May 2012 17:51:32 +0000</lastBuildDate>
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	<item>
		<title>IBC Retroactive Termination Policy Changed</title>
		<link>http://totalbenefits.biz/wordpress/?p=666</link>
		<comments>http://totalbenefits.biz/wordpress/?p=666#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Wed, 02 May 2012 17:34:45 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Ed MacConnell</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Blog]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Carrier News]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Health Care Reform]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://totalbenefits.biz/wordpress/?p=666</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[IBC will only permit retroactive terminations for up to 30 days plus the current month ]]></description>
			<content:encoded><![CDATA[FROM IBC:
IBC currently permits customers to terminate members retroactively for up to 60 days plus the current month (60-90 days) in which the request for termination is received. Beginning in the third quarter of 2012, IBC will only permit retroactive terminations for up to 30 days plus the current month (30-60 days) in which the request for termination is received for fully insured groups. We will continue to p]]></content:encoded>
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		<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
		</item>
	
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	<item>
		<title>IBC: Health Care Reform Regulations on Rescission of Coverage</title>
		<link>http://totalbenefits.biz/wordpress/?p=664</link>
		<comments>http://totalbenefits.biz/wordpress/?p=664#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Wed, 02 May 2012 17:31:52 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Ed MacConnell</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Blog]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Carrier News]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Health Care Reform]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://totalbenefits.biz/wordpress/?p=664</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[The Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act of 2010 includes a provision designed to prohibit health insurance issuers and group health plans from rescinding coverage except in the case of fraud, an intentional misrepresentation of a material fact, or failure to pay a required premium. A rescission is defined as a cancellation of coverage that [...]]]></description>
			<content:encoded><![CDATA[The Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act of 2010 includes a provision designed to prohibit health insurance issuers and group health plans from rescinding coverage except in the case of fraud, an intentional misrepresentation of a material fact, or failure to pay a required premium. A rescission is defined as a cancellation of coverage that has a retroactive effective date. This provision applies to all group]]></content:encoded>
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		<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
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	<item>
		<title>Employer-offered health insurance drops to record low-Gallup</title>
		<link>http://totalbenefits.biz/wordpress/?p=654</link>
		<comments>http://totalbenefits.biz/wordpress/?p=654#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Thu, 23 Feb 2012 23:43:28 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Ed MacConnell</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Blog]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Health Care Reform]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://totalbenefits.biz/wordpress/?p=654</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[The number of Americans getting health insurance from their employer continues to drop, with a record low 44.6 percent getting employer-sponsored coverage in 2011, compared to 45.8 percent in 2010, according to Gallup numbers. This continues the downward trend Gallup and Healthways have documented for the last few years. In 2008, roughly half of Americans received [...]]]></description>
			<content:encoded><![CDATA[The number of Americans getting health insurance from their employer continues to drop, with a record low 44.6 percent getting employer-sponsored coverage in 2011, compared to 45.8 percent in 2010, according to Gallup numbers. This continues the downward trend Gallup and Healthways have documented for the last few years. In 2008, roughly half of Americans received health insurance from their employer. Meanwhile, ]]></content:encoded>
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		<title>Planning for FSA Changes&#8230;see our blog on the patch!</title>
		<link>http://totalbenefits.biz/wordpress/?p=460</link>
		<comments>http://totalbenefits.biz/wordpress/?p=460#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Wed, 01 Feb 2012 02:00:01 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Ed MacConnell</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Blog]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Health Care Reform]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Taxes & Benefits]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://totalbenefits.biz/wordpress/?p=460</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[Employers should begin working with their third-party administrators to update cafeteria plan documents and summary plan descriptions (SPDs) to reflect this limit, and should begin preparing to communicate the changes to their employees.]]></description>
			<content:encoded><![CDATA[
Planning for FSA Changes...see our blog on the patch!
http://lowersouthampton.patch.com/blog_posts/planning-for-fsa-changes-in-2013
]]></content:encoded>
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	<item>
		<title>Phone Numbers Update</title>
		<link>http://totalbenefits.biz/wordpress/?p=456</link>
		<comments>http://totalbenefits.biz/wordpress/?p=456#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Tue, 31 Jan 2012 22:36:39 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Ed MacConnell</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Blog]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Uncategorized]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://totalbenefits.biz/wordpress/?p=456</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[Effective 2/1/2012 our previous telephone numbers will no longer be forwarded to us and will be disconnected. Our current telephone number (215)355-2121 will remain active as well as our fax number (215)947-5478. The following numbers will no longer be in use: (215)947-5471 (800)924-6718 (800)668-2960 (previous fax) &#160; Please update your records accordingly.]]></description>
			<content:encoded><![CDATA[Effective 2/1/2012 our previous telephone numbers will no longer be forwarded to us and will be disconnected. Our current telephone number (215)355-2121 will remain active as well as our fax number (215)947-5478. The following numbers will no longer be in use:
(215)947-5471
(800)924-6718
(800)668-2960 (previous fax)
&nbsp;
Please update your records accordingly.
]]></content:encoded>
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		<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
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		<title>New Surveys Reveal Consumers Taking Charge of their Healthcare Costs with Health Savings Accounts</title>
		<link>http://totalbenefits.biz/wordpress/?p=444</link>
		<comments>http://totalbenefits.biz/wordpress/?p=444#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Thu, 05 Jan 2012 16:33:22 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Ed MacConnell</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Blog]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://totalbenefits.biz/wordpress/?p=444</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[According to research from Xerox companies ACS and Buck Consultants, both employers and account holders find cost saving benefits in HSAs&#8230; Click here to read more&#8230;]]></description>
			<content:encoded><![CDATA[According to research from Xerox companies ACS and Buck Consultants, both employers and account holders find cost saving benefits in HSAs&#8230;
Click here to read more&#8230;
]]></content:encoded>
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		<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
		</item>
	
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	<item>
		<title>Take a guided tour of HR360</title>
		<link>http://totalbenefits.biz/wordpress/?p=435</link>
		<comments>http://totalbenefits.biz/wordpress/?p=435#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Thu, 29 Dec 2011 01:38:12 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Ed MacConnell</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Blog]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Services We Provide]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://totalbenefits.biz/wordpress/?p=435</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[HR360 is a complimentary service provided to all EMA Group Clients. Take a few minutes to watch the video and see how HR360 can help you right away!]]></description>
			<content:encoded><![CDATA[HR360 is a complimentary service provided to all EMA Group Clients. Take a few minutes to watch the video and see how HR360 can help you right away!

]]></content:encoded>
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		<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
		</item>
	
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	<item>
		<title>2012 Flex Spending Account (FSA) Changes</title>
		<link>http://totalbenefits.biz/wordpress/?p=424</link>
		<comments>http://totalbenefits.biz/wordpress/?p=424#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Fri, 23 Dec 2011 00:03:16 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Ed MacConnell</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Taxes & Benefits]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://totalbenefits.biz/wordpress/?p=424</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[The flex spending account allows you to contribute money to the FSA for costs not covered by insurance: deductibles, co-pays, and coinsurance. In addition, you can use your FSA to pay for health care costs that health insurance doesn’t cover.]]></description>
			<content:encoded><![CDATA[Changes you need to know about flexible spending account changes in 2012

Flexible Spending Accounts

What are they?

Also known as a flexible spending arrangement, a flexible spending account is a tax-advantaged account that allows an employee to set aside a portion of earnings pre-tax to pay for qualified medical expenses.
Unlike health savings accounts, FSAs are more commonly offered with traditional medical pla]]></content:encoded>
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		<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
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	<item>
		<title>United Healthcare announces changes to Internal Appeals Processes for 2012</title>
		<link>http://totalbenefits.biz/wordpress/?p=422</link>
		<comments>http://totalbenefits.biz/wordpress/?p=422#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Thu, 22 Dec 2011 23:57:45 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Ed MacConnell</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Carrier News]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://totalbenefits.biz/wordpress/?p=422</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[&#160; Members of non-grandfathered health plans with effective dates on or after Sept. 23, 2010 (and grandfathered health plans that voluntarily adopted the appeals provisions of the Affordable Care Act), will see some additional information on their adverse benefit determinations (ABDs), including explanations of benefits (EOBs), beginning Jan. 1, 2012. Specifically, ABDs will contain the [...]]]></description>
			<content:encoded><![CDATA[&nbsp;
Members of non-grandfathered health plans with effective dates on or after Sept. 23, 2010 (and grandfathered health plans that voluntarily adopted the appeals provisions of the Affordable Care Act), will see some additional information on their adverse benefit determinations (ABDs), including explanations of benefits (EOBs), beginning Jan. 1, 2012. Specifically, ABDs will contain the following additional inf]]></content:encoded>
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	<item>
		<title>HSA&#8217;s-Whats changing in 2012?</title>
		<link>http://totalbenefits.biz/wordpress/?p=416</link>
		<comments>http://totalbenefits.biz/wordpress/?p=416#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Thu, 22 Dec 2011 22:52:51 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Ed MacConnell</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Blog]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Taxes & Benefits]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://totalbenefits.biz/wordpress/?p=416</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[ The funds contributed to the account are not subject to federal income tax at the time of deposit. Unused amounts at year's end can be carried over to following years]]></description>
			<content:encoded><![CDATA[What you need to know about health savings account limits  in 2012


Health Savings Accounts

What are they? H.S.A.&#8217;s are tax-advantaged medical savings accounts available to taxpayers who are enrolled in an HSA-qualified high-deductible health plan. You MUST be enrolled in a Qualified HDHP or you cannot contribute to an H.S.A account The funds contributed to the account are not subject to federal income tax]]></content:encoded>
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		</item>
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