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As cited in a Washington Post article, President Obama announced the Justice Department has indicted five Chinese military personnel on "charges of hacking into computers and stealing valuable trade secrets from leading steel, nuclear plant and solar power firms." Bringing these charges against a foreign country is a first for the United States, and though it is highly unlikely that China will turn over the accused cyber spies, this action will most likely have serious implications for US-China relations, both commercially and politically.

If you’re on the board of a private company, you could be personally liable for defense and settlement costs as a result of lawsuits for claims made against you. That is, unless you have the proper coverage in place through your insurance risk management program.

Individuals currently on COBRA have been offered a special one-time open enrollment period on the Federally Facilitated Marketplace. New FAQs, released by the Department of Labor (DOL), Health and Human Services (HHS), and the Treasury (IRS), clarify certain requirements in regard to the annual out-of-pocket maximum, coverage for preventive services, health FSA carryover, and summary of benefits and coverage (SBC). In addition, the DOL released notice of new proposed rules requiring plans to modify COBRA notices to inform COBRA qualified beneficiaries (QBs) of the availability of coverage and possible subsidies/cost-sharing through the Marketplace, as well as providing updated model COBRA notices and the CHIPRA notice to better describe the Marketplace and enrollment rights.

Effective April 1st, 2014, employers with five or more employees are required to provide employees with up to 40 hours of paid sick leave per calendar year. The New York City Earned Sick Time Act (Paid Sick Leave Law) defines a calendar year as any consecutive 12-month period. New York City employers with fewer than five employees are not required to provide paid sick leave, but must provide employees with up to 40 hours of unpaid sick leave.

The IRS recently released Rev. Proc. 2014-30, which established the health savings account (HSA) contribution limits and definition of a high deductible health plan (HDHP) for the 2015 calendar year.