The three federal agencies tasked with enforcement of the Mental Health Parity and Addiction Equity Act (MHPAEA) — the Departments of Labor, Health & Human Services (through CMS), and Treasury (the Departments) — issued their...more
9/20/2024
/ Benefit Plan Sponsors ,
Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) ,
Department of Labor (DOL) ,
Employee Benefits ,
Employee Retirement Income Security Act (ERISA) ,
Employer Group Health Plans ,
Health Insurance ,
Mental Health ,
Mental Health Parity Rule ,
MHPAEA ,
Substance Abuse
Imagine you are a corporate Human Resources/Total Rewards leader who receives a request from a state’s law enforcement agency for health plan records about a plan participant’s abortions or other reproductive health care. How...more
6/4/2024
/ Abortion ,
Employee Benefits ,
Employee Privacy Rights ,
Employer Group Health Plans ,
Employer Liability Issues ,
Final Rules ,
Health Insurance ,
Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) ,
Healthcare ,
HIPAA Privacy Rule ,
PHI ,
Popular ,
Reproductive Healthcare Issues
It is critical for employers and plan fiduciaries/administrators to stay informed of HIPAA privacy and security-related legal developments because most employer sponsored group health plans — regardless of the employer’s...more
5/23/2024
/ Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) ,
Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization ,
Employee Benefits ,
Employer Group Health Plans ,
Final Rules ,
Health Care Providers ,
Health Insurance ,
Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) ,
Healthcare ,
HIPAA Privacy Rule ,
OCR ,
PHI ,
Popular ,
Reproductive Healthcare Issues
In just a few days’ time, recently promulgated federal final rules addressing sex-based nondiscrimination in the administration of health care benefits have created a flurry of healthcare industry activity. The angst arises...more
5/9/2024
/ Affordable Care Act ,
Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) ,
Compensation & Benefits ,
Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) ,
Employee Benefits ,
Employer Group Health Plans ,
Final Rules ,
Health Insurance ,
Healthcare ,
Healthcare Reform ,
Non-Discrimination Rules ,
Sex Discrimination
Where did the time go? Just a brief 1,199 days after it began, the COVID-19 Public Health Emergency (PHE) is coming to an end. The PHE formally ends on May 11, 2023, short of any unexpected developments. And that means the...more
4/19/2023
/ COBRA ,
Compensation & Benefits ,
Coronavirus/COVID-19 ,
Cost-Sharing ,
Employee Benefits ,
Employee Retirement Income Security Act (ERISA) ,
Employer Group Health Plans ,
Health Insurance ,
Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) ,
Healthcare ,
Infectious Diseases ,
Public Health Emergency ,
Telehealth
There has never been an ERISA requirement to include elective abortion medical coverage in ERISA group health plans. Even so, many nationwide employers choose to offer it alongside non-elective abortion medical coverage. ...more
6/24/2022
/ Abortion ,
Compensation & Benefits ,
Corporate Counsel ,
Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization ,
Employee Benefits ,
Employee Handbooks ,
Employee Retirement Income Security Act (ERISA) ,
Employees ,
Employer Group Health Plans ,
Employment Policies ,
Health Insurance ,
Health Savings Accounts ,
Patient Access ,
Roe v Wade ,
Travel Expenses ,
Travel Reimbursements
The Biden Administration’s proposed budget for fiscal year 2023 serves as a warning to all plan issuers and administrators that enforcement of the Mental Health Parity and Addiction Equity Act (MHPAEA) is a top priority for...more
6/15/2022
/ Biden Administration ,
Department of Labor (DOL) ,
Employee Retirement Income Security Act (ERISA) ,
Employer Group Health Plans ,
Enforcement Actions ,
Federal Budget ,
Health Insurance ,
Healthcare ,
Healthcare Reform ,
Mental Health ,
Mental Health Parity Rule ,
MHPAEA ,
NQTLs
Last minute guidance affects employers sponsoring group health plans, and answers a much-discussed question as we approach the one-year anniversary of past COVID guidance....more
Once an employee has been exposed to a suspected or confirmed case of COVID-19, what do you do? Once an employee has tested positive, what do you say?...more
Benefit plan sponsors are responding to participant questions about the coronavirus/COVID-19. In particular, employers’ HR departments are fielding questions about whether their health plan will pay for any necessary testing...more
3/16/2020
/ China ,
Clinical Laboratory Testing ,
Coronavirus/COVID-19 ,
Crisis Management ,
Deductibles ,
Emergency Management Plans ,
Emergency Response ,
Employee Benefits ,
Employer Group Health Plans ,
HDHP ,
Health Insurance ,
Health Savings Accounts ,
Infectious Diseases ,
IRS ,
Medical Benefits ,
Medical Examinations ,
New Guidance ,
Public Health
Employers with established wellness programs that collect health information and/or require a medical exam can no longer rely on the EEOC regulations to justify that incentives provided under their wellness programs are...more
As we alluded in our “Preparing for the Unknown: Open Enrollment 2018” blog post, employers that are finalizing their employee benefit plan designs in advance of the 2018 plan year would be well-advised to monitor the...more
10/5/2017
/ AARP ,
Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) ,
Corporate Counsel ,
Employee Benefits ,
Employer Group Health Plans ,
Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) ,
Genetic Discrimination ,
GINA ,
Health Insurance ,
Incentives ,
MHPAEA ,
Non-Discrimination Rules ,
Wellness Programs
Employers who sponsor employee wellness programs must plan now to comply with a new notice requirement that takes effect soon. Beginning with the first plan year on or after January 1, 2017, employers sponsoring wellness...more
Many employers offer some type of “wellness program” to their employees as a way to improve employee health and reduce healthcare spending. Wellness programs can be called many different things, including “weight loss...more
Many employers offer some type of "wellness program" to their employees as a way to improve employee health and reduce healthcare spending. Wellness programs can be called many different things, including "weight loss...more
Business leaders and human resources and employee benefits professionals are well aware of potential minefields for employer group health plan sponsors under the Affordable Care Act (ACA). Large employer plan sponsors are...more
8/7/2015
/ Affordable Care Act ,
Best Practices ,
Employee Benefits ,
Employee Retirement Income Security Act (ERISA) ,
Employees ,
Employer Group Health Plans ,
Full-Time Employees ,
Health Insurance ,
Healthcare ,
Part-Time Employees ,
Wage and Hour
With the Affordable Care Act's Employer Mandate (Pay-or-Play penalties) now officially in effect, employers with 50 or more full-time or full-time-equivalent employees should have already made all significant changes to their...more
2/19/2015
/ Affordable Care Act ,
Corporate Counsel ,
Employer Group Health Plans ,
Employer Mandates ,
Health Insurance ,
King v Burwell ,
Pay or Play ,
Popular ,
Reporting Requirements ,
Subsidies ,
Summary of Benefits and Coverage
As 2014 winds down, plan sponsors are likely thinking ahead to some of the significant changes that will take effect in 2015, most notably, the employer "pay or play" mandate under the ACA. However, there are two deadlines...more
Traditional employment laws often interact with traditional employee benefit laws. One such example is the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA)'s impact on employer-sponsored group health plans. As group health plan costs...more
4/3/2013
/ Affordable Care Act ,
Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) ,
Conditional Job Offers ,
Disability ,
Disability Discrimination ,
Discrimination ,
Employer Group Health Plans ,
GINA ,
Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) ,
Healthcare ,
Hiring & Firing
2013 is shaping up to be a very busy year for employers in all industries, with the continued implementation of the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act ("ACA"). Recognizing that in 2014, applicable large employers will...more
Many important aspects of the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act ("ACA") will go into effect in 2014, including the implementation of health insurance exchanges, and the requirement for certain employers to offer...more