Summary -
The rules in the Consolidated Appropriations Act that aim to eliminate much of the surprise from billings by out-of-network providers in particular situations are the subject of continued controversy....more
10/24/2023
/ Billing ,
Consolidated Appropriations Act (CAA) ,
Health Care Providers ,
Health Insurance ,
Healthcare ,
Healthcare Reform ,
Life Sciences ,
Medical Bills ,
No Surprises Act (NSA) ,
Out of Network Provider ,
Surprise Medical Bills
The Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals has stayed the broad application of a district court decision that would have invalidated a number of preventive care requirements under the Affordable Care Act. As a result, health plans,...more
Summary -
Health plans and insurance policies may no longer be required to cover the full cost of preventive care that carries an A or B rating by the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force (USPSTF), following a recent ruling...more
The U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of New York blocked federal rules seeking to remove nondiscrimination protections for health care patients. The blocked rules would have removed protections against...more
8/21/2020
/ Affordable Care Act ,
Bostock v Clayton County Georgia ,
Civil Rights Act ,
Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) ,
Gender Identity ,
Health Care Providers ,
Health Insurance ,
Healthcare Reform ,
New Rules ,
Non-Discrimination Rules ,
Sexual Orientation Discrimination ,
Sexual Stereotyping ,
Title IX ,
Title VII
Below is a summary of those key provisions. I. SECURE Act The Setting Every Community Up for Retirement Enhancement Act of 2019 (the SECURE Act, H.R. 1994) is arguably the most significant and comprehensive retirement saving...more
12/23/2019
/ 401k ,
Affordable Care Act ,
Compensation & Benefits ,
Corporate Counsel ,
Employee Benefits ,
Health Insurance Tax ,
Healthcare Reform ,
Individual Retirement Account (IRA) ,
Medical Leave ,
Multiemployer Plan ,
New Legislation ,
Paid Family Leave Law ,
PCORI ,
Required Minimum Distributions ,
Retirement ,
Retirement Plan ,
Safe Harbors ,
SECURE Act ,
Tax Cuts and Jobs Act ,
Tax Planning ,
Tax Rates ,
Tax Reform ,
UBIT
In a 2-1 decision, the Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals has upheld a district court ruling that the individual mandate under the Affordable Care Act is unconstitutional. However, the Fifth Circuit has sent the case back to the...more
Once again, the IRS has extended the deadline for furnishing Forms 1095-B and 1095-C to individuals. Reporting penalties will not apply to those who meet the applicable deadlines and complete the forms in good faith....more
12/5/2019
/ Affordable Care Act ,
Deregulation ,
Employee Benefits ,
Employer Mandates ,
Filing Deadlines ,
Form 1094 ,
Form 1095 ,
Health Insurance ,
Healthcare Reform ,
Individual Mandate ,
IRS ,
Penalties ,
Popular ,
Reporting Requirements ,
Tax Planning ,
Trump Administration
Federal executive agencies recently published two rules, one final and one proposed, aimed at publicizing the various costs associated with health care. A final rule, promulgated by the Department of Health and Human Services...more
12/4/2019
/ Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) ,
Comment Period ,
Cost-Sharing ,
Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) ,
Disclosure Requirements ,
Final Rules ,
Health Care Providers ,
Healthcare Reform ,
Hospitals ,
Medical Expenses ,
Medical Loss Ratio ,
MLR Rebate ,
Out of Network Provider ,
Price Transparency ,
Proposed Rules ,
Regulatory Agenda ,
Rulemaking Process ,
Surprise Medical Bills ,
Trump Administration
The U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia upheld a rule that expanded the maximum length of time for short-term, limited duration insurance (STLDI). STLDI is coverage that lasts a limited period of time and is...more
Pursuant to a directive in last month’s Executive Order 13877, the Treasury Department issued guidance last week that lists particular preventive care items and services that may be covered by a high deductible health plan...more
The U.S. Departments of the Treasury, Labor, and Health and Human Services have issued final regulations allowing employers to establish health reimbursement arrangements and certain other types of reimbursement plans...more
The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) has released proposed regulations that, if finalized, will significantly narrow the scope of the nondiscrimination requirements under Section 1557 of the Affordable Care...more
6/6/2019
/ Affordable Care Act ,
Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) ,
Employee Benefits ,
Financial Assistance Policies ,
Health Care Providers ,
Health Insurance ,
Healthcare Reform ,
Non-Discrimination Rules ,
Proposed Rules ,
Religious Freedom Restoration Act (RFRA) ,
Section 1557
The Office of Civil Rights (OCR) of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) announced that it has entered into a settlement with a business associate that provides electronic medical records services to health...more
6/5/2019
/ Business Associates ,
Corrective Actions ,
Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) ,
Electronic Medical Records ,
Hackers ,
Health Care Providers ,
Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) ,
Healthcare Reform ,
HIPAA Breach ,
OCR ,
Risk Assessment ,
Risk Management ,
Security Standards ,
Settlement Agreements
The U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia has set aside the most significant portions of the U.S. Department of Labor's (DOL) regulations on Association Health Plans (AHPs)....more
4/2/2019
/ Affordable Care Act ,
Association Health Plans ,
Department of Labor (DOL) ,
Employee Benefits ,
Employee Retirement Income Security Act (ERISA) ,
Employer Group Health Plans ,
Health Insurance ,
Healthcare Reform ,
Regulatory Requirements ,
Set-Asides ,
Trump Administration
The Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) has formally withdrawn the provisions in its regulations governing wellness programs under the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) and the Genetic Information...more
The Affordable Care Act returned to the front page this weekend when a federal district court in Texas issued an opinion striking down the entire law as unconstitutional. ...more
The U.S. Departments of the Treasury, Labor, and Health and Human Services have jointly issued proposed regulations that envision a broad landscape for the use of health reimbursement arrangements (HRAs) and certain other...more
The U.S. Departments of the Treasury, Labor, and Health and Human Services have jointly issued final rules modifying the definition of short-term, limited-duration insurance (STLDI). STLDI provides health coverage that is...more
The U.S. Department of Labor (DOL) on Tuesday released final regulations modifying the Association Health Plan (AHP) rules to expand their availability for small and large employers and to address their affordability by...more
6/25/2018
/ Affordable Care Act ,
Association Health Plans ,
Department of Labor (DOL) ,
Employee Benefits ,
Employee Retirement Income Security Act (ERISA) ,
Employer Group Health Plans ,
Health Insurance ,
Healthcare Reform ,
MEWAs ,
Regulatory Reform ,
Regulatory Requirements
Following a brief shutdown of the federal government, on February 9, Congress passed and President Donald J. Trump signed into law the Bipartisan Budget Act of 2018 (Budget Act), which provides Congress until March 23 to...more
2/19/2018
/ ACOs ,
Affordable Care Act ,
Bipartisan Budget Act ,
Children's Health Insurance Program (CHIP) ,
Employee Benefits ,
Employer Group Health Plans ,
Federal Budget ,
Hardship Distributions ,
Health Insurance ,
Healthcare Reform ,
IPAB ,
Medicare ,
Medicare Advantage ,
Medicare Part D ,
Retirement Plan ,
Telehealth
The Congressional agreement that reopened the federal government for three weeks quietly addressed—at least temporarily—several high-profile issues affecting public and private health benefits. ...more
1/24/2018
/ Affordable Care Act ,
Cadillac Tax ,
Children's Health Insurance Program (CHIP) ,
Compensation & Benefits ,
Employee Benefits ,
Federal Funding ,
Government Shutdown ,
Health Insurance ,
Healthcare Reform ,
Low-Income Issues ,
Medical Device Tax
Following up on the direction provided by Executive Order 13813, the U.S. Department of Labor (DOL) has issued proposed regulations that would expand the ability of small employers to band together and provide coverage under...more
1/8/2018
/ Affordable Care Act ,
Association Health Plans ,
Compensation & Benefits ,
Corporate Counsel ,
Department of Labor (DOL) ,
Employee Benefits ,
Employer Group Health Plans ,
Executive Orders ,
Health Insurance ,
Healthcare Reform ,
Regulatory Reform ,
Trump Administration
As it did last year, the IRS has extended the deadline for furnishing Forms 1095-B and 1095-C to individuals by 30 days. This reprieve will allow employers, health insurers, and other plan sponsors to distribute the forms on...more
12/27/2017
/ Affordable Care Act ,
Employee Benefits ,
Employer Mandates ,
Form 1094 ,
Form 1095 ,
Health Insurance ,
Healthcare Reform ,
Individual Mandate ,
IRS ,
Reporting Requirements ,
Tax Liability ,
Tax Returns ,
Trump Administration
After a brief lull in activity, recent developments are likely to involve all three branches of government in addressing issues under the Affordable Care Act....more
10/19/2017
/ Affordable Care Act ,
Contraceptive Coverage Mandate ,
Cost-Sharing ,
Employee Benefits ,
Employer Group Health Plans ,
Employer Mandates ,
Executive Orders ,
Health Insurance ,
Healthcare Reform ,
Legislative Agendas ,
Proposed Legislation ,
Public Health Insurance Marketplace ,
Religious Exemption ,
Repeal ,
Subsidies ,
Trump Administration
The U.S. Department of Labor (DOL) recently released a draft model form for plan participants to request disclosures from group health plans and insurers about restrictions on mental health coverage. The form is designed to...more