Arkansas has become the first state in the nation to enact legislation, effective starting in 2026, prohibiting pharmacy benefit managers (PBM’s) from owning or operating actual pharmacies within the state. We take a look at...more
4/25/2025
/ Arkansas ,
Compensation & Benefits ,
Drug Pricing ,
Employee Benefits ,
Employer Group Health Plans ,
Health Insurance ,
Healthcare ,
Healthcare Reform ,
New Legislation ,
Pharmacy Benefit Manager (PBM) ,
Prescription Drugs ,
State and Local Government
Seyfarth Synopsis: On September 9, 2024, the Departments of the Treasury, Labor, and Health and Human Services (the “Departments”) released highly anticipated Final Rules under the Mental Health Parity and Addiction Equity...more
9/30/2024
/ Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) ,
Department of Labor (DOL) ,
Employee Benefits ,
Employer Group Health Plans ,
Final Rules ,
Health Insurance ,
Healthcare ,
Mental Health ,
Mental Health Parity Rule ,
MHPAEA ,
NQTLs ,
Proposed Rules ,
U.S. Treasury
Seyfarth Synopsis: Fresh on the heels of the IRS Chief Counsel Memorandum on wellness and indemnity products, discussed in our prior post here, the agencies have weighed in with more formal and more expansive guidance...more
Seyfarth Synopsis: Employer health plan sponsors, administrators, and insurers have been eagerly awaiting the U.S. Department of Labor’s upcoming guidance on mental health parity. According to recent reports, newly proposed...more
Seyfarth Synopsis: In light of a recent focus on price transparency, claims data, and hidden fees in the health plan world, employer-sponsored health plans have been bringing their fight to the courtroom in an effort to lower...more
Seyfarth Synopsis: Since March 18, 2020, group health plans have been required to provide benefits for certain items and services related to testing for or diagnosis of COVID-19 during the applicable emergency period - see...more
Seyfarth Synopsis: Almost a decade after the 408(b)(2) fee disclosure requirements took effect for retirement plan service providers, Congress finally passed legislation addressing compensation disclosure rules for service...more
Synopsis: For years, employers have struggled to understand what level of incentives in wellness programs might be considered “voluntary” under the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA). ...more
Synopsis: Now that we have two approved vaccines (and several more on the horizon) employers are starting to explore whether they should require their employees to get vaccinated in order to report to work. ...more
On Tuesday, August 22, the US District Court for the District of Columbia ordered the EEOC to revisit its controversial rules placing certain limits on employer-sponsored wellness programs under the Americans with...more
8/30/2017
/ AARP ,
Affordable Care Act ,
Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) ,
Discrimination ,
Employee Benefits ,
Employer Group Health Plans ,
Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) ,
Genetic Discrimination ,
GINA ,
Health Insurance ,
Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) ,
Non-Discrimination Rules ,
Wellness Programs
This is the one hundred and eighth issue in our series of alerts for employers on selected topics on health care reform. This series of Health Care Reform Management Alerts is designed to provide an in-depth analysis of...more
On October 26, 2016, the Departments of Health and Human Services, Labor and Treasury (the Departments) published issue 34 of their series of FAQs on the Affordable Care Act, found here. The FAQs discuss the Mental Health...more
This is the one hundred and second issue in our series of alerts for employers on selected topics on health care reform. This series of Health Care Reform Management Alerts is designed to provide an in-depth analysis of...more
This is the one hundred and first issue in our series of alerts for employers on selected topics on health care reform. (Click here to access our general Summary of Health Care Reform and other issues in this series.) This...more
This is the ninety-eighth issue in our health care reform series of alerts for employers on selected topics in health care reform. This series of Health Care Reform Management Alerts is designed to provide a more in-depth...more
The Obama administration continues to use its executive authority to expand societal inclusion of transgender individuals. On September 3, the Department of Health and Human Services issued proposed rules under Section 1557...more
9/16/2015
/ Affordable Care Act ,
Burwell v Hobby Lobby ,
Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) ,
Employer Group Health Plans ,
Gender Discrimination ,
Health Insurance ,
Healthcare ,
Hobby Lobby ,
LGBTQ ,
Obama Administration ,
Public Health Insurance Marketplace ,
SCOTUS ,
Sexual Orientation ,
Sexual Orientation Discrimination ,
Transgender
This is the ninety-first issue in our series of alerts for employers on selected topics in health care reform. This series of Health Care Reform Management Alerts is designed to provide an in-depth analysis of certain aspects...more