The Internal Revenue Service announced this week they were extending the deadline for employers to distribute 1095-Cs and 1095-Bs to employees. Originally, employers had until Jan. 31 to distribute these forms but now have until March 2. 

Similar to last year when deadlines were extended, the announcement stated the extension was a result of "a substantial number of employers, insurers, and other providers of minimum essential coverage need[ing] additional time beyond the January 31, 2018, due date to gather and analyze the information and prepare the 2017 Forms 1095-B and 1095-C to be furnished to individuals." 

While this is good news for employers, there is some fine print to read. The IRS did not change the deadline for filing Forms 1094 and 1095 with the IRS itself. This means employers filing these forms by mail will need to submit by Feb. 28 and those filing electronically (required for employers filing more than 250 forms) by April 2nd. 

However, just because the deadline is extended, doesn't mean reporting should be. Here are a few reasons you (and your clients) should aim to file your 1094-Cs and 1095-Cs in January. 

Open enrollment can be a stressful time for many organizations, with a lot of moving parts, deadlines, and benefits jargon. When it’s over, most business and HR leaders could be forgiven for wanting to shelve the benefits subject until the next year. But this could be a mistake.

The end of open enrollment is actually the best time to review your broker and benefits strategy. While open enrollment will always include a few glitches, how those issues get resolved is what matters. You should feel supported by your broker, and like you and your employees ended open enrollment understanding your options and satisfied with your elections.

Here are three things to evaluate.

Benefits brokerage Bernard Health hosted its 7th Annual Health Reform Luncheon Wednesday, bringing together a panel of local healthcare and workforce experts to discuss group plan sustainability, healthcare consumerism, and political uncertainty.

The panel, which comprised Nashville Health Care Council president Hayley Hovious, Healthcare Bluebook co-founder and SVP Bill K

ampine, BernieHR leader Rebekah Michel, and Farm Bureau Health Plans chief marketing officer Randy Wilmore, agreed that the state of health reform was likely to remain uncertain for the foreseeable future.

“I don’t know that you’re going to see a lot of movement,” Hovious said. “When I talk to employers, I’m not getting a sense that they think this is going to get worked out. In terms of planning, it’s likely that there will be more people off of the exchanges, which means more people back on your plan.”

Open enrollment is coming up quickly, and HR departments everywhere are gearing up for another stressful round of paperwork, deadlines, and of course, never-ending employee support.

Traditionally, open enrollment is inefficient. You know the drill, but let’s review how operationally frustrating this time of year can be. First there are the endless forms for employees to fill out. Then the HR team has to scan or fax the forms to the broker for review.

Whoops, the broker found an error, which he send to you, and now it’s back to the employee for corrections.

Then to payroll, where you’ll be using spreadsheets and forms to find the right amount to be deducted from an employee’s paycheck.

Finally, carriers are alerted through a variety of platforms—mail, faxes, email, web forms—you name it.

But of course, that isn’t the end. Next comes the record maintenance. Each and every time there’s a change, you’re back in the middle of the paperwork.

A new report from Employee Benefits Adviser shows that planning and designing employee communication campaigns lags behind other open enrollment readiness activities.

Through the EBA survey, employers rated themselves on various open enrollment activities, and communication readiness received the lowest score, representing a clear opportunity for improvement. This is on top of the fact that 49 percent of employees say making health insurance decisions is always “very stressful,” according to the Society for Human Resources Management.

Employers can use this opportunity to improve enrollment rates as well as employee satisfaction with the benefits experience. To improve benefits education for your employees, start early and use multiple channels of communication to improve messaging and open enrollment success.

Bernard Health, Nashville-based health insurance advisory firm and developer of BerniePortal and BernieHR, is strengthening its partnership model with financial advisors to help individuals navigate their healthcare options.

“Our firm was built with the mission to be the world's most trusted advisor when it comes to helping people plan for their healthcare,” said Alex Tolbert, founder of Bernard Health. “Through strengthened partnerships with financial planners, we’re furthering that mission at a time when consumers need guidance more than ever before.”

A new study from the Society of Human Resource Management found that a third of U.S. employers are planning to increase their benefit offerings, with the main reason being to remain competitive in the talent marketplace. 

With the joblessness rate at a consistent 5 percent, the U.S. is nearing full employment. This is reflected in the fact that more than two-thirds of employers are experiencing recruiting difficulty. 

Employers can utilize a number of strategies to leverage their benefits offerings to improve recruitment rates. From improving the health plan to better address employee needs or implementing career development programs, a robust and personalized benefits package can make your organization more attractive to skilled workers, as well as reduce turnover and promote internal expertise. 

Organizations were mostly likely to increase their overall benefits package, but specifically, wellness initiatives and health-related investments were the segments with the most employer investment.