K&L Gates Triage: An Insider’s Perspective on the Health Care Debate in Washington, DC
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
The Department of Labor (“DOL”) issued final regulations in June 2018, which loosened the DOL’s long-standing sub-regulatory guidance and allowed more organizations to form Association Health Plans (“AHPs”). ...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
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
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
The U.S. Departments of the Treasury, Labor, and Health and Human Services have jointly issued proposed regulations that envision a broad landscape for the use of health reimbursement arrangements (HRAs) and certain other...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
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
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
On June 19, 2018, the U.S. Department of Labor (DOL) issued its highly anticipated final rule expanding the availability of association health plans (AHPs). This article provides a brief overview of this topic, which may be...more
Department of Labor Issues Final Rule that Expands Association Health Plans - On June 21, 2018, the Employee Benefits Security Administration, Department of Labor (“DOL”) issued a final rule that establishes additional...more
The U.S. Departments of the Treasury, Labor, and Health and Human Services have jointly issued final rules modifying the definition of short-term, limited-duration insurance (STLDI). STLDI provides health coverage that is...more
This is the second article in our series on Association Health Plans (AHP). This week’s discussion focuses on the potential impact of the Department of Labor’s (DOL) decision to relax some AHP requirements....more
As we advised was likely during our June 29, 2019 webinar, Association Health Plans—Are They Really an Option to Consider?, at least two states were likely to challenge the enforceability of the new regulations issued by the...more
The U.S. Department of Labor issued final regulations in late June expanding the availability of association health plans to more businesses and to self-employed individuals....more
As discussed during our recent webinar, the finalized DOL regulations for qualifying “association health plans” will likely create new opportunities for sole proprietors and other primarily small businesses and other trade...more
Under a recent Department of Labor ruling, franchise business owners that band together to form Association Health Plans are precluded from joint-employer liability that may arise from that relationship....more
On June 21, 2018, the US Department of Labor (DOL) published a final rule making it easier for a group or association of small employers to band together to buy health insurance. The rule allows employers that previously...more
On June 19, 2018, the Trump administration finalized a rule that will enable small businesses and self-employed individuals to band together to offer access to large group health plans, which are typically less expensive (but...more
This advisory examines the most innovative and controversial aspect of the new Association Health Plan (AHP) regulation: Allowing individual “working owners,” such as a self-employed person, partner, or independent...more
The U.S. Department of Labor (DOL) has just released a final regulation allowing more employers to band together to form Association Health Plans (AHPs). The goal of the rule is to allow small employers to use the pricing...more
On June 21, 2018, the Department of Labor (“DOL”) (after consultation with the Department of Health and Human Services, the Center for Medicare and Medicaid services and the Department of the Treasury) issued final...more