K&L Gates Triage: An Insider’s Perspective on the Health Care Debate in Washington, DC
On April 29, 2024, the Department of Labor (“DOL”) released a final regulation (the “Final Rule”) that rescinded the Trump Administration rule that expanded the availability of association health plans (“AHPs”) (“Trump DOL...more
The U.S. Department of Labor (DOL)’s Employee Benefits Security Administration (EBSA) has issued a Notice of Proposed Rulemaking that would rescind a 2018 DOL rule entitled “Definition of Employee – Association Health Plans,”...more
On December 19, 2023, the Department of Labor (“DOL”) issued a proposed rule rescinding a Trump Administration rule that expanded the availability of association health plans (“AHPs”) (the “Proposed Rule”)....more
In the opening days of his administration, President Biden has signed a flurry of Executive Orders impacting multiple sectors of the U.S. economy. This article summarizes the Orders that impact employee benefits and...more
On May 13, 2019, the Department of Labor released additional guidance addressing questions about the enforcement relief announced earlier by the Department pending its appeal of the district court’s ruling that invalidated...more
On April 29, 2019, the United States Department of Labor (the “DOL”) released a policy statement providing transitional relief from the potential adverse consequences arising from a District Court’s vacating portions of the...more
Last week, the Department of Labor (DOL) responded to the district court decision striking down the final regulations expanding the ability for a group of unrelated employers to form an organization in order to offer health...more
Medical coverage for employees is often a stressful decision for small and family-owned businesses. Providing competitive benefits to employees can help attract and retain good employees....more
A D.C. federal district court struck down DOL rules allowing expanded Association Health Plans (AHPs), effectively putting that new insurance market on hold. ...more
On April 26, 2019, the Department of Labor filed a notice of appeal in the case that invalidated key provisions of its Association Health Plan (AHP) regulations. Released last summer, the AHP regulations loosened the...more
On March 28, 2019, the Federal District Court for the District of Columbia issued an opinion and order vacating key portions of the Department of Labor’s regulation, published in June 2018, which had expanded the definition...more
On March 28, 2019, in State of New York v. United States Department of Labor, a federal district court in the District of Columbia set aside key portions of the Department of Labor’s final rule (the “Final Rule”) which paves...more
On Friday, March 28, 2019, U.S. District Judge John D. Bates rejected the Trump Administration’s proposal for association health plans (AHP). ...more
This is the one hundred and nineteenth issue in our series of alerts for employers on selected topics on health care reform. ...more
A recent ruling by the United States District Court for the District of Columbia calls into question the recently expanded regulations allowing small employers to band together to establish Association Health Plans....more
A federal court struck down key portions of the new association health plan (AHP) regulations last week, just days before the fledgling rules for self-insured medical plans were slated to go into effect regarding...more
The U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia has set aside the most significant portions of the U.S. Department of Labor's (DOL) regulations on Association Health Plans (AHPs)....more
Following closely along the path blazed by the new Association Health Plan (AHP) rules (see our detailed advisories here and here), the Department of Labor (DOL) has issued proposed regulations to allow multiple employers to...more
Last year, the President issued an Executive Order directing the Secretary of the Department of Labor (DOL) to issue regulations to expand access to association health plans (AHPs). Earlier this year, the DOL issued final...more
Use of Forfeitures for Safe Harbor Contributions, QNECS and QMACS - The Internal Revenue Service (IRS) recently issued final regulations allowing forfeitures in 401(k) plans to be used to fund safe harbor contributions,...more
In a summary of the recently issued Association Health Plan (AHP) final regulations, the U.S. Department of Labor (DOL) rightly observed that AHPs are a species of multi-employer welfare arrangements, or MEWAs, that are...more
The U.S. Department of Labor (DOL) has published a Final Rule that aims to remove restrictions on the establishment of Association Health Plans (AHPs) in order to make affordable health care coverage more accessible to small...more
This is the third article in our series on Association Health Plans (AHP). This week’s discussion focuses on the mixed reaction to the recent Department of Labor (DOL) AHP. In the health benefits market, some state-based...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
In June, the Department of Labor issued a final rule that allowed the expansion of Association Health Plans (AHPs). The final rule revised the definition of who can qualify as an “employer” under ERISA and loosened the...more