On January 30, 2023, the Biden administration announced its intention to make final extensions of both the COVID-19 National Emergency (NE) and the COVID-19 Public Health Emergency (PHE) through May 11, 2023, at which point...more
2/24/2023
/ Biden Administration ,
CARES Act ,
Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) ,
COBRA ,
Consolidated Appropriations Act (CAA) ,
Coronavirus/COVID-19 ,
Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) ,
Employee Benefits ,
IRS ,
Medicare ,
Mental Health ,
Public Health Emergency ,
Telehealth ,
Vaccinations ,
Virus Testing
The Biden administration has announced its intention to end the COVID-19 National Emergency (NE) and the COVID-19 Public Health Emergency (PHE) on May 11, 2023 (read our series introduction for more information). A key...more
Join partners from McDermott’s Employee Benefits team as they discuss the impact of the recently passed SECURE 2.0 Act of 2022. With over 90 changes to retirement plans and individual retirement accounts (IRAs), this webinar...more
1/13/2023
/ 401k ,
403(b) Plans ,
Automatic Enrollment ,
Consolidated Appropriations Act (CAA) ,
Continuing Legal Education ,
Defined Benefit Plans ,
Early Retirement Distributions ,
Employee Benefits ,
Employee Contributions ,
Employer Contributions ,
Hardship Distributions ,
Health and Welfare Plans ,
Individual Retirement Account (IRA) ,
Required Minimum Distributions ,
Retirement ,
Retirement Funds ,
Retirement Plan ,
Retirement Plan Providers ,
Roth IRA ,
SECURE Act ,
Student Loan Benefit Programs ,
Webinars
We recently reported on an FAQ issued December 23, 2022 (FAQ About Affordable Care Act and Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2021 Implementation Part 56) by the US Departments of Labor, Health and Human Services and the...more
On December 15, 2022, the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) finalized regulations regarding Information Reporting of Health Insurance Coverage and Other Issues Under Internal Revenue Code (Code) Sections 5000A, 6055 and 6056...more
12/22/2022
/ Affordable Care Act ,
Benefit Plan Sponsors ,
Employer Liability Issues ,
Final Rules ,
Health Insurance ,
Information Reports ,
Internal Revenue Code (IRC) ,
IRS ,
Reporting Requirements ,
Self-Funded Health Plans ,
Shared Responsibility Rule ,
Tax Credits
On November 21, 2022, the US Department of Labor’s (DOL) Employee Benefits Security Administration (EBSA) released a proposed amendment and restatement of the Voluntary Fiduciary Correction Program (VFCP), along with a...more
12/20/2022
/ Benefit Plan Sponsors ,
Department of Labor (DOL) ,
EBSA ,
Employee Retirement Income Security Act (ERISA) ,
Enforcement Actions ,
Fiduciary Duty ,
IRS ,
Penalties ,
Prohibited Transactions ,
Proposed Amendments ,
PTEs ,
Self-Correction Programs
On October 11, 2022, the US Department of Treasury (Treasury) and the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) issued final regulations to modify how affordability under the Affordable Care Act (ACA) is determined for an offer of...more
The Internal Revenue Service (IRS) and the Social Security Administration announced the cost-of-living adjustments to the applicable dollar limits on various employer-sponsored retirement and welfare plans and the Social...more
10/21/2022
/ 401k ,
403(b) Plans ,
457(b) Plans ,
Benefit Plan Sponsors ,
Cost-of-Living Adjustment (COLA) ,
Employee Benefits ,
Employees ,
ESOP ,
Flexible Spending Accounts ,
Health and Welfare Plans ,
HSA ,
IRS ,
Open Enrollment ,
Retirement Plan ,
Social Security Administration (SSA)
On August 4, 2022, the US Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) issued a Notice of Proposed Rulemaking (NPRM or proposed rule) to reinterpret section 1557 of the Affordable Care Act (ACA), which prohibits...more
8/5/2022
/ ADEA ,
Affordable Care Act ,
Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) ,
Bostock v Clayton County Georgia ,
Children's Health Insurance Program (CHIP) ,
Civil Rights Act ,
Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) ,
Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization ,
Enforcement ,
Final Rules ,
Limited English Proficiency (LEP) ,
Medicare Part A ,
Medicare Part B ,
Non-Discrimination Rules ,
Notice of Proposed Rulemaking (NOPR) ,
PACE ,
Proposed Rules ,
Rehabilitation Act ,
Reproductive Healthcare Issues ,
Title VI
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
On April 19, 2022, the US Departments of Labor, Health and Human Services, and the Treasury (collectively, the Departments) released Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) regarding the implementation of certain reporting...more
In response to a directive from the White House, based on provisions of the Families First Coronavirus Response Act (FFCRA) and the Coronavirus Aid, Relief and Economic Security (CARES) Act that eliminated cost sharing for...more
1/17/2022
/ Affordable Care Act ,
American Academy of Pediatrics ,
Coronavirus/COVID-19 ,
Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) ,
Department of Labor (DOL) ,
Families First Coronavirus Response Act (FFCRA) ,
Fraud and Abuse ,
HRSA ,
Out-of-Pocket Expenses ,
U.S. Treasury ,
Virus Testing
The Internal Revenue Service (IRS) recently announced the cost-of-living adjustments to the applicable dollar limits for retirement plans for 2022. Most of the dollar limits currently in effect for 2021 will increase, with...more
On May 18, 2021, the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) issued much-anticipated Notice 2021-31 (the Notice) regarding the Consolidated Omnibus Budget Reconciliation Act (COBRA) premium subsidy provisions of the American Rescue...more
6/3/2021
/ American Rescue Plan Act of 2021 ,
Beneficiaries ,
COBRA ,
Coronavirus/COVID-19 ,
Covered Employees ,
Department of Labor (DOL) ,
Eligibility ,
Employee Benefits ,
Employer Group Health Plans ,
IRS ,
Premium Subsidies ,
Time Extensions
Recently, the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) announced (See Revenue Procedure 2021-25) cost-of-living adjustments to the applicable dollar limits for health savings accounts (HSAs), high-deductible health plans (HDHPs) and...more
As we continue our three-part webinar series, McDermott’s litigation and healthcare lawyers will focus on how payors can actively prepare for possible enforcement and litigation stemming from recent and potential changes to...more
4/29/2021
/ Affordable Care Act ,
Anti-Discrimination Policies ,
Commercial Litigation ,
Continuing Legal Education ,
Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) ,
Enforcement ,
Health Care Providers ,
Health Insurance ,
Health Plan Sponsors ,
Payor Contracts ,
Reimbursements ,
Rulemaking Process ,
Section 1557 ,
Webinars
On March 11, 2021, President Joe Biden signed the American Rescue Plan Act of 2021 (ARPA) providing Consolidated Omnibus Budget Reconciliation Act (COBRA) reform provisions and an increase in Dependent Care Assistance Program...more
Two days before the one-year anniversary of the official start of the COVID-19 outbreak, the US Department of Labor (DOL) issued a last-minute notice clarifying its prior guidance that relaxed the deadlines for the Employee...more
3/4/2021
/ Benefit Plan Sponsors ,
COBRA ,
Coronavirus/COVID-19 ,
Department of Labor (DOL) ,
Employee Benefits ,
Employee Retirement Income Security Act (ERISA) ,
Employer Group Health Plans ,
Employer Liability Issues ,
Enrollment ,
Health and Welfare Plans ,
Health Insurance
On February 18, 2021, the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) issued clarifying guidance on the temporary special rules for health flexible spending arrangements (FSAs) and dependent care assistance programs (DCAPs) under Internal...more
2/25/2021
/ Cafeteria Plans ,
Carryover Basis ,
COBRA ,
Consolidated Appropriations Act (CAA) ,
Coronavirus/COVID-19 ,
Dependent Care Assistance Program (DCAP) ,
Employee Benefits ,
Employees ,
Employer Liability Issues ,
Flexible Spending Accounts ,
Grace Period ,
IRS ,
Medical Expenses ,
Reporting Requirements
On January 7, 2021, the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) issued proposed guidance regarding employer-sponsored wellness programs and the level of incentives employers may offer employees who participate in these...more
1/18/2021
/ Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) ,
Benefit Plan Sponsors ,
Compliance ,
Department of Labor (DOL) ,
Discrimination ,
Employee Retirement Income Security Act (ERISA) ,
Employees ,
Employer Group Health Plans ,
Employer Liability Issues ,
Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) ,
GINA ,
Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) ,
Proposed Rules ,
Title I ,
Title II ,
Wellness Programs
The Consolidated Appropriations Act (the “Act’”) was signed into law by the president on December 27, 2020, and includes significant health and welfare benefits provisions that affect group health plans and health insurance...more
1/12/2021
/ Carryover Basis ,
Consolidated Appropriations Act (CAA) ,
Dependent Care ,
Employer Group Health Plans ,
Employer Liability Issues ,
Flexible Spending Accounts ,
Grace Period ,
Health and Welfare Plans ,
Mental Health ,
New Legislation ,
Prescription Drug Coverage ,
Surprise Medical Bills ,
Trump Administration
On October 29, 2020, the US Departments of Health and Human Services, Labor and Treasury (collectively, the Departments) issued the Transparency in Coverage final rule (the Rule), along with a fact sheet, setting forth...more
11/11/2020
/ Affordable Care Act ,
Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) ,
Drug Pricing ,
Employer Group Health Plans ,
Final Rules ,
Health Insurance ,
Health Plan Sponsors ,
Pharmaceutical Industry ,
Prescription Drugs ,
Public Disclosure ,
Transparency
The Internal Revenue Service (IRS) recently announced the cost-of-living adjustments to the applicable dollar limits for various employer-sponsored retirement and welfare plans for 2021. Nearly all of the dollar limits...more
One day before an updated rule of the US Department of Health and Human Services regarding Section 1557 of the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act took effect, the US District Court for the Eastern District of New York...more
On June 23, 2020, the US Departments of Labor, Health and Human Services, and Treasury issued tri-agency FAQs (Part 43) that clarify important health and welfare provisions under the Families First Coronavirus Response Act...more
6/26/2020
/ Benefit Plan Sponsors ,
CARES Act ,
Clinical Laboratory Testing ,
Coronavirus/COVID-19 ,
Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) ,
Families First Coronavirus Response Act (FFCRA) ,
Food and Drug Administration (FDA) ,
Health Care Providers ,
Health Insurance ,
Telehealth ,
Third-Party Agents ,
U.S. Treasury ,
Virus Testing