Preparing Employers and Employees for 2021 Benefit Plans Decisions
The Medicare open enrollment period runs through December 7th, 2023. Medicare adjusts costs, coverage, and accepted providers on an annual basis. If you have received “Evidence of Coverage,” or an “Annual Notice of Change,”...more
Open enrollment is rapidly approaching for employers with calendar-year employee benefit plans. Following are ten important issues for employers to consider for the 2024 open enrollment season...more
On August 23, the Internal Revenue Service issued Rev. Proc. 2023-29, announcing that the Affordable Care Act (ACA) affordability threshold will be 8.39% for plan years beginning in 2024, a substantial decrease from the 9.12%...more
This August, a working group sponsored by the National Association of Insurance Commissioners (the "NAIC") unanimously approved revisions to the NAIC's Unfair Trade Practices Act Model #880 (the "Model Law") to restrain...more
Under the Affordable Care Act (ACA), applicable large employers (ALEs) — i.e., those with, on average, fifty (50) or more full-time or full-time-equivalent employees in the preceding year — must offer in the following year...more
Fall open enrollment is upon us, and plan sponsors and administrators are preparing to provide their employees with the required notices related to their health and welfare plans. Notice and disclosure obligations for health...more
Recently, the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) announced (See Revenue Procedure 2022-24) cost-of-living adjustments to the applicable dollar limits for health savings accounts (HSAs), high-deductible health plans (HDHPs) and...more
Following the expiration of the Public Health Emergency (PHE), states will resume normal eligibility and enrollment activities for all enrollees in Medicaid and the Children’s Health Insurance Program (CHIP). The volume of...more
On September 15, the House Ways and Means and Energy and Commerce Committees advanced components of the Democrats’ $3.5 trillion budget reconciliation package (“Budget Legislation” or “the Legislation”). The Legislation...more
In Washington: President Biden will join leaders of the Group of Seven (G-7) nations this Friday for a virtual summit focused on the global response to COVID-19, the White House said Sunday. Other discussions at the summit...more
The New Jersey Department of Banking and Insurance (“Department”) extended open enrollment and to create an extended COVID-19 Special Enrollment Period (“SEP”) to be in effect beginning at the end of the annual open...more
Join Jackson Walker and Lockton Dunning Benefits as panelists discuss the upcoming 2021 open enrollment season and provide advice on how to communicate with employees about new programs and benefits, including new initiatives...more
As a result of the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, we are observing all sorts of never-before-seen changes in the fully-insured group health plan space. Many insurers are liberally waiving their normal rules to accommodate the...more
On Wednesday, December 18, the Fifth Circuit of the U.S. Court of Appeals issued a ruling in Texas v. United States, which determined that the individual health insurance mandate implemented by the Affordable Care Act (ACA)...more
On July 17, the IRS issued Notice 2019-45 (the Notice), expanding the concept of preventive care to certain services and items that target specific chronic conditions, such as testing strips and insulin for diabetes. As...more
Increasing uncertainty and hostility surrounding the federal Affordable Care Act (ACA) have resulted in a burst of health insurance reforms at the state level. For example, Washington recently passed a law creating a public...more
On December 14, 2018, District Judge Reed O’Connor of the United States District Court for the Northern District of Texas ruled that the Affordable Care Act or ACA (a/k/a “ObamaCare”) is unconstitutional and therefore...more
If you’re a resident of the District of Columbia and you qualify for help with your health insurance under the Affordable Care Act, don’t wait, you have until Jan. 31 to enroll in Obamacare. It’s still the law of the land and...more
You are turning 65 and enrolling in Medicare, but as a healthy senior do you really need to also sign up for Medicare's supplemental coverage? Not signing up initially can be very costly down the road. Medicare pays for...more
Take some time this week to do something big for yourself, your loved ones, friends, work colleagues, and our country, for that matter...more
For Americans and their health coverage, October and November will be a time to remember. And act. The season is upon us when it pays to learn the critical facts about your current health insurance coverage and your...more
After dominating the agenda for most of 2017, the Affordable Care Act (ACA) seemed to take a backseat at first as Republicans shifted their focus to enacting tax legislation. The initial momentum behind the bipartisan...more
The fifth Open Enrollment period under the Affordable Care Act (ACA) started on November 1st, and will continue for a scant 45 days ending on December 15, 2017. This year, not only has the Open Enrollment been cut in half,...more
Energy and Critical Infrastructure Industries Warned of Increased Attacks by FBI and DHS - The FBI and Department of Homeland Security issued a joint statement on October 20, 2017 warning of an increased danger of a...more
With open enrollment in full swing for many employers, now is a good time to review employee benefit communications. Plan sponsors of health plans are generally responsible for properly administering all of the health plan...more