PODCAST: Williams Mullen's Benefits Companion - Gag Clause Prohibitions
Changing Telehealth Rules
PODCAST: Williams Mullen's Benefits Companion - Health Plan Transparency Requirements
PODCAST: Williams Mullen's Benefits Companion - Group Health Plan Service Provider Compensation Disclosure Requirements
Podcast: What's New for Insurers in Mental Health Parity Compliance - Diagnosing Health Care
PODCAST: Williams Mullen's Benefits Companion - Employee Retention Tax Credit Expansion
Department of Labor Imposes Additional Requirement on Employer-Provided Health Services
Episode 3 | Forgiveness is Divine: Looking at the 2021 PPP
COVID-19 Relief in 2021: What Small Businesses Need to Know
On-Demand Webinar | Navigating Leave and Disability Protection Laws During COVID-19: A Practical Guide for California Employers
COVID-19 in the Workplace - PPP Update, COVID Plans from the Biden Transition Team, Higher Education Relief Package Provision, COVID WARN Act Developments
PODCAST: Williams Mullen's Benefits Companion - New Round of COVID-19 Relief Expands Assistance for Employers
Introduction and Summary - As part of the Consolidated Appropriations Act, Congress established new identification and attestation requirements for off-campus outpatient departments of acute care hospitals. Although Medicare...more
On Feb. 3, 2026, President Donald Trump signed into law the FY 2026 appropriations bill, the Consolidated Appropriations Act of 2026, which extends pandemic-era Medicare telehealth flexibilities through Dec. 31, 2027....more
On Feb. 3, 2026, President Donald Trump signed into law the Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2026 (CAA 2026), a sweeping piece of legislation including provisions that will substantially impact employer-sponsored health...more
Within a one-week period, there were two actions at the federal level to increase pharmacy benefits manager (PBM) transparency. The Consolidated Appropriations Act of 2026 (CAA 2026) and Department of Labor (DOL) proposed...more
On February 3, 2026, President Trump signed into law the Mikaela Naylon Give Kids A Chance Act as part of the Consolidated Appropriations Act (CAA) of 2026. The CAA codifies FDA's interpretation of the scope of orphan drug...more
President Trump has signed the Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2026 (CAA, 2026), extending Medicare telehealth flexibilities through December 31, 2027, and Acute Hospital Care at Home authorities through September 30, 2030....more
On February 3, 2026, Congress passed and the President signed the Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2026 (“CAA 26”), a legislative package that funds several federal agencies, including the Departments of Labor and Health and...more
As a follow-up to our post earlier this week, President Trump has signed into law the Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2026 (CAA). The law extends key COVID-19 era Medicare telehealth flexibilities through December 31, 2027...more
After a nearly 24-year hiatus from the mandatory provider-based attestation requirement, the Consolidated Appropriations Act of 2026 (Act, signed into law on Feb. 3, 2026), mandates (again) that hospitals file attestations of...more
Teaching hospitals training over their graduate medical education (GME) caps have limited opportunities to receive additional funding from Medicare. Therefore, it is important to note the upcoming March 31, 2026, deadline to...more
On February 3, 2026, President Trump signed into law the Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2026 (H.R.7148), an appropriations act that provides funding for various agencies including the Department of Health and Human...more
The Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2026, which was signed into law on February 3, 2026, includes a significant new requirement affecting off-campus hospital outpatient departments....more
Pharmacy benefit manager (PBM) reform has been an active and evolving area for policymakers in Washington, D.C. for many years but reform efforts have noticeably picked up pace in 2026. Recent actions by Congress and the...more
All hospitals that are paid under the Medicare Outpatient Prospective Payment System and operate off-campus outpatient departments should prepare for submission of mandatory provider-based attestations (PBAs), even if they...more
Providers that rely on telehealth for Medicare patients can continue to do so as a result of an extension of the Medicare telehealth rules that were originally implemented during the COVID-19 Public Health Emergency...more
During the COVID-19 public health emergency, the federal government eased some of the restrictions placed on the provision of health care services through telehealth for Medicare beneficiaries. ...more
Last week, the House passed the 2026 Consolidated Appropriations Act, which includes the fiscal year 2026 appropriations bill for Labor-Health and Human Services (HHS) and a host of key healthcare extenders....more
Congressional leaders release FY 2026 Labor-HHS minibus and health package. On January 20, 2026, congressional appropriators released the 2026 Consolidated Appropriations Act, working to ensure that government funding does...more
As Congress continues negotiations over federal funding priorities, health care providers, research institutions, and other industry stakeholders are closely monitoring developments that could affect reimbursement, compliance...more
Early on January 20, 2026, the House Appropriations Committee released the 2026 Consolidated Appropriations Act, which includes the last of the 12 fiscal year (FY) 2026 appropriations bills: Labor-Health and Human Services...more
Late yesterday, the 5th Circuit Court of Appeals vacated the split panel opinion from August allowing enforcement of the Pregnant Workers Fairness Act (PWFA) against the state of Texas. The issue is whether the U.S....more
Group health plan sponsors must file the annual gag clause attestation required by the Consolidated Appropriations Act of 2021 by December 31st on the CMS website (here). Plans must attest that agreements with third party...more
The Fifth Circuit and the Federal District Court of Connecticut have issued conflicting decisions on whether service providers may sue to enforce arbitration awards under the No Surprises Rules in the Consolidated...more
The Mental Health Parity and Addiction Equity Act of 2008 (MHPAEA) was enacted to ensure that group health plans and health insurance issuers offering mental health and substance use disorder (MH/SUD) benefits do not impose...more
On this episode of Williams Mullen's Benefits Companion, host Brydon DeWitt discusses prohibitive gag clauses under the Consolidated Appropriations Act (CAA). While intended to promote transparency, not all gag clauses are...more