On March 15, 2022, the Consolidated Appropriations Act of 2022 (“2022 CAA”) was signed into law. Among other things, the 2022 CAA temporarily restores the telehealth relief provided under the CARES Act. The CARES Act...more
3/23/2022
/ CARES Act ,
Compensation & Benefits ,
Consolidated Appropriations Act (CAA) ,
Employee Benefits ,
HDHPs ,
Health Care Providers ,
Health Insurance ,
HSA ,
Relief Measures ,
Telehealth ,
Telemedicine
As indicated in our January 11, 2022 blog post and alert, the Department of Labor, the Department of Health and Human Services, and the Treasury (the “Agencies”) issued FAQs Part 51 on January 10, 2022, requiring group health...more
2/9/2022
/ Compensation & Benefits ,
Coronavirus/COVID-19 ,
Employee Benefits ,
Employer Group Health Plans ,
Health Insurance ,
Healthcare ,
Infectious Diseases ,
Medical Reimbursement ,
New Regulations ,
Over The Counter Drugs (OTC) ,
Safe Harbors ,
Virus Testing ,
Workplace Safety
Beginning January 15, 2022, and through the duration of the public health emergency, insurers and group health plans must cover at-home COVID-19 diagnostic tests available over-the-counter (OTC) without imposing cost-sharing,...more
1/11/2022
/ Compensation & Benefits ,
Coronavirus/COVID-19 ,
Cost-Sharing ,
Employee Benefits ,
Employer Group Health Plans ,
Health Insurance ,
Infectious Diseases ,
Medical Reimbursement ,
New Regulations ,
Over The Counter Drugs (OTC) ,
Virus Testing ,
Workplace Safety
On October 4, 2021, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, U.S. Department of Labor and U.S. Department of the Treasury jointly issued FAQs relating to COVID-19 vaccine incentives and surcharges. Under the...more
10/5/2021
/ Affordable Care Act ,
Coronavirus/COVID-19 ,
Corporate Counsel ,
Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) ,
Department of Labor (DOL) ,
Employee Incentive Plans ,
Employer Liability Issues ,
Employment Policies ,
Health Insurance ,
Infectious Diseases ,
New Guidance ,
Surcharges ,
U.S. Treasury ,
Vaccinations ,
Workplace Safety
The COBRA premium assistance period, as part of the American Rescue Plan Act, will expire on September 30, 2021. Plans are required to send notices to assistance eligible individuals (AEIs) to inform them about the subsidy's...more
On March 11, 2021, President Biden signed the American Rescue Plan Act of 2021 (the “ARPA”) into law. Many of the provisions in this sweeping legislation bring changes to the employee benefits world of which employers should...more
4/1/2021
/ American Rescue Plan Act of 2021 ,
COBRA ,
Compensation & Benefits ,
Employee Benefits ,
Health Insurance ,
Multiemployer Plan ,
New Legislation ,
Regulatory Reform ,
Retirement Plan ,
Section 162(m) ,
Tax Credits
In a new information letter, the U.S. Department of Labor (DOL) concludes offering professionally managed asset allocation funds, which include a private equity component as an investment option in an individual account plan...more
The Give Retirement Options to Workers Act (Grow Act) was introduced by representatives Phil Roe (R-Tenn.) and Donald Norcross (D-N.J.) on February 14, 2018. According to reports, provisions of the Grow Act were included in...more
Multiemployer Pension Recapitalization and Reform Plan -
Senate Republicans introduced their own multiemployer pension reform plan, the Multiemployer Pensions Recapitalization and Reform Plan (MPRRP), on November 20, 2019....more
The Rehabilitation for Multiemployer Pensions Act of 2019 (MPRA), also referred to as the "Butch-Lewis Act" proposes to establish a Pension Rehabilitation Administration (PRA) within the Department of Treasury that would...more
Since the coronavirus (COVID-19) first emerged as a serious health emergency, Congress has moved quickly to pass three major pieces of legislation designed to address the public economic and health crises caused by the...more
On March 27, 2020, the President signed the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security Act (CARES Act), which addresses the public economic and health crisis related to the 2019 novel coronavirus (COVID-19)....more
4/1/2020
/ CARES Act ,
Coronavirus/COVID-19 ,
Financial Stimulus ,
Flexible Spending Accounts ,
Health and Welfare Plans ,
HRA ,
HSA ,
Over The Counter Drugs (OTC) ,
Preventive Health Care ,
Relief Measures ,
Telehealth ,
Trump Administration
As we counsel clients on best practices in addressing the coronavirus pandemic, we continue to caution clients on potential HIPAA issues with internal response plans. In a recent Bulletin, the Office for Civil Rights (OCR) at...more
3/17/2020
/ China ,
Coronavirus/COVID-19 ,
Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) ,
Electronic Protected Health Information (ePHI) ,
Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) ,
HIPAA Privacy Rule ,
Infectious Diseases ,
OCR ,
Patient Privacy Rights ,
PHI ,
Public Health ,
Risk Management
On March 11, the IRS issued Notice 2020-15. The new guidance permits high-deductible health plans (HDHPs) to pay for 2019 Novel Coronavirus (COVID-19) testing and treatment without a deductible (or with a deductible below the...more
3/12/2020
/ China ,
Clinical Laboratory Testing ,
Coronavirus/COVID-19 ,
Crisis Management ,
Deductibles ,
Emergency Management Plans ,
Emergency Response ,
Employee Benefits ,
Employer Group Health Plans ,
HDHP ,
Health Insurance ,
Health Savings Accounts ,
Infectious Diseases ,
IRS ,
Medical Benefits ,
Medical Examinations ,
New Guidance ,
Public Health
One of the clear trends in employee benefits involves companies offering assistance with their workforce's student loan repayments. The reasons are obvious. ...more
New guidance helps plan sponsors and employers manage and operate AHPs -
The Department of Labor (DOL) and Internal Revenue Service (IRS) recently released guidance related to the DOL's June 28th final rule on association...more
8/28/2018
/ Affordable Care Act ,
Association Health Plans ,
COBRA ,
Compensation & Benefits ,
Department of Labor (DOL) ,
Disclosure Requirements ,
Employee Benefits ,
Employee Retirement Income Security Act (ERISA) ,
Employer Group Health Plans ,
Health Insurance ,
Healthcare Reform ,
IRS ,
MEWAs ,
Reporting Requirements
On June 19, 2018, the Department of Labor (DOL) released a final rule that offers new options for associations to sponsor health plans for their members. These new options allow more small businesses to come together to...more
6/22/2018
/ Affordable Care Act ,
Association Health Plans ,
Department of Labor (DOL) ,
Employee Benefits ,
Employee Retirement Income Security Act (ERISA) ,
Employer Group Health Plans ,
Health Insurance ,
Healthcare Reform ,
Regulatory Oversight ,
Regulatory Reform ,
Regulatory Requirements
On June 19, 2018, the Department of Labor (DOL) released a final rule that offers new options for associations to sponsor health plans for their members. These new options allow more small businesses to come together to...more
Recently, the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) indicated that it would begin enforcing the Affordable Care Act (ACA) Employer Shared Responsibility provisions (commonly known as the “Employer Mandate”). Last week, the IRS...more
Recently, the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) indicated that it would begin enforcing the Affordable Care Act (ACA) Employer Shared Responsibility provisions (commonly known as the "Employer Mandate"). Last week, the IRS...more
The United States Supreme Court recently held in King v. Burwell that the Affordable Care Act (ACA) permits individuals to receive health insurance premium subsidies through federally-facilitated exchanges (in addition to...more