Although there are no fixed targets among employee benefits specified in the proposed Republican tax reform plan, it's too soon for employers or employees to breathe easy.

That's according to a report from the Society for Human Resource Management, which points out that it's too early in the process to know which benefits might draw fire if the GOP feels the need to offset tax cuts elsewhere. But employers, naturally, are hoping that the tide flows the other way, with better tax treatment or even expansion of some benefits.

Currently, the report says, salary-deducted payments for group health plan premiums are excluded from an employee's gross income. Employers, for their part, can write off premiums they pay as a business expense. The U.S. Treasury Department estimates that in 2018, these exclusions and deductions will lower tax revenues by $235.8 billion. Employers, of course, hope this provision remains untouched, although it could provide a handy target.