Recently, the WannaCry ransomware attack impacted 150 countries and over 300,000 computers. Not all ransomware attacks are so massive but they all are fast moving and require swift action to prevent destruction and lose of...more
5/23/2017
/ Covered Entities ,
Cyber Attacks ,
Cybersecurity ,
Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) ,
Electronic Protected Health Information (ePHI) ,
Employer Group Health Plans ,
Employer Liability Issues ,
Hackers ,
Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) ,
Malware ,
PHI ,
Phishing Scams ,
Ransomware
On May 4, 2017, the House passed by a 217-213 vote, the measure referred to as the American Health Care Act (“Trumpcare”), which is intended to repeal and replace the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (“Obamacare”)....more
5/8/2017
/ Affordable Care Act ,
American Health Care Act (AHCA) ,
Cadillac Tax ,
Employer Mandates ,
Essential Health Benefits ,
Flexible Spending Accounts ,
Health Insurance ,
Health Savings Accounts ,
Individual Mandate ,
Medicaid Expansion ,
Preexisting Conditions ,
Repeal ,
Trump Administration ,
Waivers
Mobile health apps are becoming more and more popular as a tool for consumers in maintaining healthy lifestyles. However, there is a growing concern that the health-related benefits are being over-stated by mobile health app...more
4/10/2017
/ App Developers ,
Attorney General ,
Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) ,
Federal Trade Commission (FTC) ,
Misleading Statements ,
Mobile Health Apps ,
Penalties ,
Popular ,
Privacy Policy ,
Settlement ,
State and Local Government
Earlier this week, on March 6, 2017, House Republicans released their proposals to repeal and replace the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act, commonly referred to as "Obamacare." The proposals would remove the...more
Wellness programs are trending in the U.S., especially with employers looking for ways to encourage and promote healthy lifestyles for their employees and to reduce the cost of their self-insured group health plan. Regardless...more
10/28/2016
/ Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) ,
Confidential Information ,
Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) ,
Department of Labor (DOL) ,
Employer Group Health Plans ,
Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) ,
GINA ,
Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) ,
IRS ,
Medical Examinations ,
Notice Requirements ,
Taxable Income ,
Voluntary Participation ,
Wellness Programs
Many people believe that compliance with the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act of 1996 (“HIPAA”) is solely an issue for health care providers and their affiliates. However, nothing could be further from the...more
10/10/2016
/ Covered Entities ,
Electronic Protected Health Information (ePHI) ,
Employer Group Health Plans ,
Employer Liability Issues ,
Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) ,
HSA ,
Policies and Procedures ,
Popular ,
Risk Assessment ,
Security Risk Assessments ,
Self-Insured Health Plans
Many U.S. employers are now allowing employees to use their own personal handheld devices and laptop computers for work-related purposes. As the age of employer-provided devices is coming to an end and “bring your own device”...more
7/14/2016
/ Bring Your Own Device (BYOD) ,
Business Associates ,
Corrective Actions ,
Covered Entities ,
Data Breach ,
Data Protection ,
Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) ,
Electronic Medical Records ,
Electronically Stored Information ,
Health Care Providers ,
Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) ,
Mobile Device Management ,
Mobile Devices ,
Nursing Homes ,
OCR ,
Personally Identifiable Information ,
PHI
Wellness programs are becoming more popular among employers as a way to promote healthy lifestyles for their employees. Most employers are aware that their wellness programs must comply with the nondiscrimination rules under...more
As we previously reported, in United States v. Windsor, 133 S. Ct. 2675 (2013), the U.S. Supreme Court held section 3 of the Defense of Marriage Act to be unconstitutional. Section 3 of the Defense of Marriage Act provides...more
As previously reported, the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (the “ACA”) established the Patient Centered Outcomes Research Institute (the “PCORI”) for the purpose of assisting patients, clinicians, purchasers and...more
On June 26, 2013, the United States Supreme Court held in United States v. Windsor, that Section 3 of the Defense of Marriage Act (“DOMA”) was “unconstitutional as a deprivation of the equal liberty of persons that is...more
7/10/2013
/ Civil Unions ,
DOMA ,
Domestic Partnership ,
Employee Benefits ,
Employee Retirement Income Security Act (ERISA) ,
Employee Rights ,
Employer Mandates ,
Equal Protection ,
Healthcare ,
Marriage ,
Qualified Retirement Plans ,
Retirement Plan ,
Same-Sex Marriage ,
US v Windsor
The U.S. Treasury Department announced on July 2, 2013 that the employer shared-responsibility payments (commonly referred to as the “employer mandate” or the “employer penalties”) under the Patient Protection and Affordable...more
The Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act of 1996 (“HIPAA”) sets forth rules to protect the privacy and security of individuals’ health information that is held by “covered entities,” such as group health plans....more
5/30/2013
/ Business Associates ,
Data Breach ,
Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) ,
Employer Group Health Plans ,
Enforcement ,
Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) ,
HITECH Act ,
Marketing ,
Penalties ,
PHI ,
Security and Privacy Controls ,
Subcontractors