The wait is over, and now the work begins for health plan sponsors.
Much-anticipated final rules implementing the Paul Wellstone and Pete Domenici Mental Health Parity and Addiction Equity Act of 2008 (MHPAEA) were...more
9/19/2024
/ Benefit Plan Sponsors ,
Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) ,
Department of Labor (DOL) ,
Employer Group Health Plans ,
Health Insurance ,
HMOs ,
Mental Health ,
Mental Health Parity Rule ,
MHPAEA ,
NQTLs ,
Out of Network Provider ,
Outpatient Services ,
Substance Abuse
Employers often target benefit offerings to specific groups of workers—think dependent care accounts or student loan repayment matching contributions—so maybe it was inevitable....more
Many employers with at least fifty employees in the six-county Chicago area will have to provide their full-time employees with pre-tax public transit benefits starting January 1, 2024, under a new Illinois law....more
9/13/2023
/ Commuting ,
Employee Benefits ,
Employer Responsibilities ,
Fringe Benefits ,
Internal Revenue Code (IRC) ,
IRS ,
Municipalities ,
New Legislation ,
Payroll Deductions ,
Public Transit ,
Public Transportation ,
Reimbursements
Now you know.
It could not be any clearer to employers that compliance with the Mental Health Parity and Addiction Equity Act of 2008 (MHPAEA) will be a—maybe the—top health and welfare benefit priority for federal...more
8/4/2023
/ Benefit Plan Sponsors ,
Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) ,
Consolidated Appropriations Act (CAA) ,
Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) ,
Department of Labor (DOL) ,
Employer Group Health Plans ,
Health Insurance ,
Mental Health ,
Mental Health Parity Rule ,
MHPAEA ,
NQTLs ,
Proposed Rules ,
Regulatory Agenda ,
U.S. Treasury
Employers have some new clarity on the No Surprises Act rules on out-of-network providers and charges under new guidance from the U.S. Department of Labor, U.S. Department of the Treasury, and the U.S. Department of Health...more
Employers’ high deductible health plans (HDHPs) can continue to cover COVID-19 testing and treatment without violating the eligibility rules for health savings accounts (HSAs)—but only through 2024—under new Internal Revenue...more
The Supreme Court of the United States, on June 30, 2023, struck down President Biden’s student loan relief program that was set to provide partial debt cancellation to approximately 40 million student loan borrowers. As a...more
7/3/2023
/ Article III ,
Biden Administration ,
Colleges ,
Department of Education ,
Loan Forgiveness ,
Relief Measures ,
SCOTUS ,
Standing ,
Student Loans ,
Students ,
Universities
As employers plan for the impact of the anticipated May 11, 2023, end of the two federal COVID-19 emergency orders, they have some important new clarity on test and vaccine coverage and on how to unwind COVID-19–era extended...more
4/4/2023
/ Benefit Plan Sponsors ,
COBRA ,
Coronavirus/COVID-19 ,
Corporate Counsel ,
Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) ,
Health Savings Accounts ,
New Guidance ,
Public Health Emergency ,
Secretary of HHS ,
Vaccinations ,
Virus Testing
With the pandemic winding down, deadlines for employee benefit plans governed by the Employee Retirement Income Security Act (ERISA) will be resuming. Two different emergencies affect employer-sponsored group health plans:...more
2/8/2023
/ Benefit Plan Sponsors ,
COBRA ,
Coronavirus/COVID-19 ,
Corporate Counsel ,
Department of Labor (DOL) ,
Employee Benefits ,
Employee Retirement Income Security Act (ERISA) ,
Employer Group Health Plans ,
Filing Deadlines ,
Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) ,
IRS ,
Joint Statements ,
Public Health Emergency ,
Relief Measures ,
Time Extensions
Employers have a reprieve from the challenging December 27, 2022, deadline for reporting 2020 and 2021 prescription drug cost information to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS). ...more
Qualified retirement plans will experience unusually sharp increases to compensation and contribution limitations for 2023 compared to adjustments in recent years. On October 21, 2022, the Internal Revenue Service (IRS)...more
Employers are facing increasing - and conflicting - pressures over health plan coverage of puberty-blocking medications used to treat some minors for gender dysphoria. Several states have restricted the use of...more
9/27/2022
/ Bostock v Clayton County Georgia ,
Child Abuse ,
Child Protective Services ,
Corporate Equality Index (CEI) ,
Discrimination ,
Employer Group Health Plans ,
Fourteenth Amendment ,
Gender Dysphoria ,
Health Insurance ,
Human Rights ,
Minors ,
Title VII ,
Transgender
The Biden administration announced several student loan debt relief measures on August 24, 2022, including an extended loan repayment moratorium through December 31, 2022, and debt cancellation that will be available...more
9/19/2022
/ Biden Administration ,
CARES Act ,
Consolidated Appropriations Act (CAA) ,
Employee Benefits ,
Federal Grants ,
Internal Revenue Code (IRC) ,
IRS ,
Loan Forgiveness ,
Private Letter Rulings ,
SECURE Act ,
Student Loans
Employers will have the opportunity to review and self-correct retirement plan failures upon being identified for plan examination by the Internal Revenue Service (IRS). The IRS announced in early June 2022 the rollout of a...more
The Internal Revenue Service (IRS) recently issued some much-needed guidance surrounding the application of deadline extensions that the IRS and the U.S. Department of Labor (DOL) previously issued for initial elections under...more
Employer-sponsored health plans can add air ambulance claims reporting to the list of required disclosures that will go into effect in the next several years.
Under proposed regulations published September 16, 2021, by...more
9/30/2021
/ Ambulance Providers ,
Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) ,
Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) ,
Disclosure Requirements ,
Employee Retirement Income Security Act (ERISA) ,
Employer Group Health Plans ,
Enforcement ,
Insurance Claims ,
Out of Network Provider ,
Penalties ,
Surprise Medical Bills
The U.S. Department of Labor, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, and U.S. Department of the Treasury recently issued regulatory guidance on the requirement that health plans cover pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP)...more
The American Rescue Plan Act of 2021 (ARPA) implemented a 100 percent COBRA subsidy for certain qualified beneficiaries beginning on April 1, 2021, and ending September 30, 2021. On May 18, 2021, more than a month into the...more
Retirement plans are increasingly subject to cybersecurity issues, and the U.S. Department of Labor (DOL) is taking notice. On April 14, 2021, the DOL published cybersecurity guidance “for plan sponsors, plan fiduciaries,...more
5/18/2021
/ Benefit Plan Sponsors ,
Best Practices ,
Class Action ,
Cybersecurity ,
Data Privacy ,
Data Security ,
Department of Labor (DOL) ,
Electronic Communications ,
Employee Retirement Income Security Act (ERISA) ,
Fiduciary ,
IRS ,
Plan Participants ,
Popular ,
Retirement Plan ,
Third-Party Service Provider
The new 100 percent premium subsidy applies to individuals eligible for Consolidated Omnibus Budget Reconciliation Act (COBRA) coverage due to either a reduction in hours or an involuntary termination of employment, and it...more
4/28/2021
/ American Rescue Plan Act of 2021 ,
COBRA ,
Coronavirus/COVID-19 ,
Corporate Counsel ,
Department of Labor (DOL) ,
Employee Benefits ,
Employer Group Health Plans ,
Health Insurance ,
New Guidance ,
Notice Requirements ,
Premium Subsidies ,
Relief Measures ,
Tax Credits
Less than a month after the American Rescue Plan Act of 2021 (ARPA) was signed into law, new U.S. Department of Labor (DOL) guidance and model forms are clearing up a number of employer concerns about the 100 percent COBRA...more
4/12/2021
/ American Rescue Plan Act of 2021 ,
COBRA ,
Coronavirus/COVID-19 ,
Corporate Counsel ,
Department of Labor (DOL) ,
EBSA ,
Employee Benefits ,
Employer Group Health Plans ,
Health Insurance ,
IRS ,
New Guidance ,
Premium Subsidies ,
Premiums ,
Relief Measures ,
Tax Credits
The U.S. Department of Labor’s (DOL) Employee Benefits Security Administration (EBSA) published EBSA Disaster Relief Notice 2021-01 in the nick of time on February 26, 2021. EBSA Disaster Relief Notice 2021-01 was released...more
4/1/2021
/ Benefit Plan Sponsors ,
Biden Administration ,
COBRA ,
Coronavirus/COVID-19 ,
Corporate Counsel ,
Department of Labor (DOL) ,
EBSA ,
Employee Benefits ,
Executive Orders ,
Health Insurance ,
Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) ,
New Guidance ,
Notice Requirements ,
Relief Measures ,
Time Extensions
The American Rescue Plan Act of 2021 (ARPA), which became law on March 11, 2021, provides a 100 percent subsidy of premiums under the Consolidated Omnibus Budget Reconciliation Act (COBRA) beginning on April 1, 2021, through...more
3/18/2021
/ American Rescue Plan Act of 2021 ,
Benefit Plan Sponsors ,
Biden Administration ,
COBRA ,
Coronavirus/COVID-19 ,
Employee Benefits ,
Employer Group Health Plans ,
Families First Coronavirus Response Act (FFCRA) ,
Health Insurance ,
Medicare ,
Notice Requirements ,
Popular ,
Premium Subsidies ,
Relief Measures ,
Tax Credits
The Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2021 (CAA) contained temporary relief measures aimed at addressing unused contributions to health flexible spending accounts (FSA) and dependent care assistance programs (DCAP).
On...more
3/11/2021
/ Benefit Plan Sponsors ,
Cafeteria Plans ,
CARES Act ,
Carry-Over Basis ,
COBRA ,
Consolidated Appropriations Act (CAA) ,
Coronavirus/COVID-19 ,
Deductibles ,
Dependent Care Assistance Program (DCAP) ,
Employee Benefits ,
Flexible Spending Accounts ,
Grace Period ,
Health Savings Accounts ,
IRS ,
Relief Measures
Employers are facing uncertainty as to the expiration of the COVID-19 relief the U.S. Department of Labor (DOL) and Internal Revenue Service (IRS) issued in a joint guidance on May 4, 2020. The joint guidance requires...more