The U.S. District Court for the District of Maine recently dismissed two separate suits alleging that health plans’ coverage exclusion for weight loss drugs constitutes unlawful disability discrimination. Both complaints...more
5/14/2025
/ Affordable Care Act ,
Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) ,
Appeals ,
Class Action ,
Disability Discrimination ,
Employer Group Health Plans ,
Health Insurance ,
Insurance Litigation ,
Obesity ,
Prescription Drugs ,
Section 1557
Earlier this year, a Johnson & Johnson (“J&J”) employee brought a class action complaint (the “Complaint”) against J&J alleging fiduciary breaches under ERISA related to the prescription drug coverage under J&J’s self-funded...more
On June 8, 2023, the IRS released Chief Counsel Advice 202323006 (the “CCA”) addressing the tax treatment of wellness indemnity payments made by employer-funded fixed indemnity insurance policies. The CCA generally provides...more
On March 30, 2023, the District Court for the Northern District of Texas issued an opinion and order in Braidwood Mgmt. Inc. v. Becerra that vacates the implementation and enforcement of certain preventive service provisions...more
4/3/2023
/ Affordable Care Act ,
Constitutional Challenges ,
Cost-Sharing ,
Employee Benefits ,
Employer Group Health Plans ,
Health Insurance ,
Healthcare ,
Non-Grandfathered Health Plans ,
Preventive Health Care ,
Religious Freedom Restoration Act (RFRA) ,
Vacated
Last week the Senate passed the Continuing Appropriations Act, 2023 (“CAA23”). The House of Representatives will likely consider the measure today, and President Biden is expected to sign the bipartisan measure into law...more
12/26/2022
/ Employee Benefits ,
Employer Group Health Plans ,
Health Insurance ,
Health Savings Accounts ,
Healthcare ,
Healthcare Reform ,
HSA ,
Medicaid ,
Medicare ,
Medicare Secondary Payer Act ,
Mental Health Parity Rule ,
Pending Legislation ,
Regulatory Agenda ,
Telehealth
On September 7, 2022, the District Court for the Northern District of Texas ruled a key component of the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act’s (“ACA”) preventive services mandate unconstitutional. Braidwood Mgmt. Inc....more
As a reminder, on Friday July 1, 2022, with respect to plan or policy years beginning on or after January 1, 2022 through July 1, 2022, group health plans (self-funded and insured) and health insurance issuers are required to...more
The IRS released two Notices this week related to cafeteria plans and flexible spending arrangements (“FSAs”). Notice 2020-29 provides relief for cafeteria plans in response to the current COVID-19 pandemic, and Notice...more
On Thursday, December 19, the Senate passed two spending bills to fund the government through September 30, 2020, one of which (H.R. 1865, the “Further Consolidated Appropriations Act of 2020” or the “Act”) contains the...more
1/10/2020
/ 401k ,
403(b) Plans ,
457(b) Plans ,
529 Plans ,
Affordable Care Act ,
Benefit Plan Sponsors ,
Cadillac Tax ,
Church Plans ,
Consolidated Appropriations Act (CAA) ,
Defined Benefit Plans ,
Department of Labor (DOL) ,
Employee Benefits ,
Employee Retirement Income Security Act (ERISA) ,
Employer Group Health Plans ,
Individual Retirement Account (IRA) ,
Lifetime Income Disclosures ,
Medicare ,
Non-Discrimination Rules ,
Part-Time Employees ,
PBGC ,
Penalties ,
Plan Administrators ,
Pooled Registration Pension Plans ,
Portability ,
Prescription Drug Coverage ,
QACA ,
Repeal ,
Required Minimum Distributions ,
Retirement Plan ,
Retirement Plan Providers ,
Safe Harbors ,
SECURE Act ,
Small Employer Plans (SEPs)