It was a lively year for health benefits. Our Employee Benefits & Executive Compensation Group unpacks 2023, from the end of the COVID-19 emergencies to the much-anticipated Mental Health Parity and Addiction Equity Act...more
12/7/2023
/ Affordable Care Act ,
Benefit Plan Sponsors ,
Consolidated Appropriations Act (CAA) ,
Department of Labor (DOL) ,
Employee Benefits ,
Employee Retirement Income Security Act (ERISA) ,
Employer Group Health Plans ,
Health and Welfare Plans ,
Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) ,
Health Savings Accounts ,
IRS ,
Mental Health ,
Mental Health Parity Rule ,
MHPAEA ,
Pharmacy Benefit Manager (PBM)
Our Employee Benefits & Executive Compensation Group summarizes the key provisions of a proposed rule that would impose new Mental Health Parity and Addiction Equity Act requirements on group health plans and health insurance...more
The COVID-19 National Emergency hasn’t ended yet, so how do plan sponsors account for certain employee benefit plan time periods lingering since early 2020 due to the Outbreak Period prescribed by the Departments of Treasury...more
Our Employee Benefits & Executive Compensation Group addresses four provisions of the Consolidated Appropriations Act that impact health benefit coverage....more
A triumvirate of agencies is bringing a fresh set of health reimbursement arrangements (HRAs) to the table for 2020. Our Employee Benefits & Executive Compensation Group breaks down the nuances between the new individual...more
Wellness programs are a win-win for everybody – until administrators run afoul of ambiguous rules and regulations. Our Employee Benefits & Executive Compensation Group analyzes two recent lawsuits that could impact program...more
9/14/2017
/ AARP ,
Affordable Care Act ,
Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) ,
Corporate Counsel ,
Department of Labor (DOL) ,
Employee Benefits ,
Employee Retirement Income Security Act (ERISA) ,
Employer Liability Issues ,
Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) ,
GINA ,
Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) ,
Popular ,
Wellness Programs
Stage two of repealing and replacing the Affordable Care Act (ACA) is now underway as focus shifts to the Senate, where significant changes are expected to be made to the American Health Care Act (AHCA) as passed by the...more
After much anticipation, a “leaked” draft of the House health care reform reconciliation bill became public in mid-February. In less than a week, the final proposal was released. It has now passed out of the...more
Tucked at the end of the recently enacted 300-plus-page 21st Century Cures Act (Cures Act) is a provision that offers certain small employers a new opportunity to help employees purchase individual market major medical...more
This impacts any entity (or health benefit plan) that receives federal financial assistance, including Medicare or Medicaid reimbursements. Two new regulations require some employers to make health plan design and...more
11/8/2016
/ Affordable Care Act ,
Covered Entities ,
Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) ,
Department of Labor (DOL) ,
Employer Group Health Plans ,
Federal Contractors ,
Health Insurance ,
Non-Discrimination Rules ,
Notice Requirements ,
OCR ,
OFCCP ,
Section 1557
Two new regulations require some employers to make health plan design and administrative changes. While not all employers are subject to these requirements, those who are will need to review their plans and be aware of other...more
10/19/2016
/ Affordable Care Act ,
Covered Entities ,
Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) ,
Department of Labor (DOL) ,
Employer Group Health Plans ,
Federal Contractors ,
Health Insurance ,
Non-Discrimination Rules ,
Notice Requirements ,
OCR ,
OFCCP ,
Section 1557
In our April 8, 2016, advisory, we discussed the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services’ (HHS) Office of Civil Rights (OCR) “Phase 2” audit program. Then, we could only make educated guesses about what documents OCR...more
As you may have recently read (for example, “HHS/OCR Announces Launch of HIPAA Audit Program Phase 2”), the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services’ (HHS) Office for Civil Rights (OCR) has started “Phase 2” of its audit...more
The Affordable Care Act (ACA) anti-retaliation provisions have been in effect for several years, but have so far largely gone unnoticed. Now that employees can get financial assistance through the Health Insurance...more
4/6/2016
/ Administrative Law Judge (ALJ) ,
Affordable Care Act ,
Anti-Retaliation Provisions ,
Employee Retirement Income Security Act (ERISA) ,
Employer Group Health Plans ,
Employer Liability Issues ,
Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA) ,
OSHA ,
Protected Activity ,
Reduction in Hours ,
Whistleblowers
On March 1, 2016, the Supreme Court held that a Vermont law requiring detailed reporting of health data could not be applied to self-funded plans subject to ERISA. In Gobeille v. Liberty Mutual Insurance Company, the Court,...more