Imagine you are a corporate Human Resources/Total Rewards leader who receives a request from a state’s law enforcement agency for health plan records about a plan participant’s abortions or other reproductive health care. How...more
6/4/2024
/ Abortion ,
Employee Benefits ,
Employee Privacy Rights ,
Employer Group Health Plans ,
Employer Liability Issues ,
Final Rules ,
Health Insurance ,
Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) ,
Healthcare ,
HIPAA Privacy Rule ,
PHI ,
Popular ,
Reproductive Healthcare Issues
It is critical for employers and plan fiduciaries/administrators to stay informed of HIPAA privacy and security-related legal developments because most employer sponsored group health plans — regardless of the employer’s...more
5/23/2024
/ Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) ,
Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization ,
Employee Benefits ,
Employer Group Health Plans ,
Final Rules ,
Health Care Providers ,
Health Insurance ,
Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) ,
Healthcare ,
HIPAA Privacy Rule ,
OCR ,
PHI ,
Popular ,
Reproductive Healthcare Issues
In just a few days’ time, recently promulgated federal final rules addressing sex-based nondiscrimination in the administration of health care benefits have created a flurry of healthcare industry activity. The angst arises...more
5/9/2024
/ Affordable Care Act ,
Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) ,
Compensation & Benefits ,
Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) ,
Employee Benefits ,
Employer Group Health Plans ,
Final Rules ,
Health Insurance ,
Healthcare ,
Healthcare Reform ,
Non-Discrimination Rules ,
Sex Discrimination
Where did the time go? Just a brief 1,199 days after it began, the COVID-19 Public Health Emergency (PHE) is coming to an end. The PHE formally ends on May 11, 2023, short of any unexpected developments. And that means the...more
4/19/2023
/ COBRA ,
Compensation & Benefits ,
Coronavirus/COVID-19 ,
Cost-Sharing ,
Employee Benefits ,
Employee Retirement Income Security Act (ERISA) ,
Employer Group Health Plans ,
Health Insurance ,
Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) ,
Healthcare ,
Infectious Diseases ,
Public Health Emergency ,
Telehealth
The Biden Administration’s proposed budget for fiscal year 2023 serves as a warning to all plan issuers and administrators that enforcement of the Mental Health Parity and Addiction Equity Act (MHPAEA) is a top priority for...more
6/15/2022
/ Biden Administration ,
Department of Labor (DOL) ,
Employee Retirement Income Security Act (ERISA) ,
Employer Group Health Plans ,
Enforcement Actions ,
Federal Budget ,
Health Insurance ,
Healthcare ,
Healthcare Reform ,
Mental Health ,
Mental Health Parity Rule ,
MHPAEA ,
NQTLs
With ACA reporting deadlines quickly approaching, many employers should be preparing to address the various reporting requirements in order to avoid the significant fines and penalties associated with non-compliance. As of...more
Business leaders and human resources and employee benefits professionals are well aware of potential minefields for employer group health plan sponsors under the Affordable Care Act (ACA). Large employer plan sponsors are...more
8/7/2015
/ Affordable Care Act ,
Best Practices ,
Employee Benefits ,
Employee Retirement Income Security Act (ERISA) ,
Employees ,
Employer Group Health Plans ,
Full-Time Employees ,
Health Insurance ,
Healthcare ,
Part-Time Employees ,
Wage and Hour
As 2014 winds down, plan sponsors are likely thinking ahead to some of the significant changes that will take effect in 2015, most notably, the employer "pay or play" mandate under the ACA. However, there are two deadlines...more
Certain employers hoped that they had discovered a way to "have their cake and eat it too". In response to the looming employer mandate for employers with 50 or more employees – the requirement to offer full - time employees...more
Employers in all industries are well aware of the complexities of the Affordable Care Act, and the seemingly constant barrage of guidance that interprets the health care reform requirements that apply to them. We have a...more
As we approach the end of the year, employers and plan sponsors of qualified retirement plans and health and welfare plans should take time to meet various upcoming deadlines. Failure to comply with the deadlines may result...more
11/25/2013
/ 401k ,
Affordable Care Act ,
Cafeteria Plans ,
COBRA ,
Deadlines ,
Department of Labor (DOL) ,
DOMA ,
Employee Benefits ,
Flexible Spending Accounts ,
GINA ,
Health and Welfare Plans ,
Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) ,
Healthcare ,
Healthcare Reform ,
Hurricane Sandy ,
IRS ,
Mental Health Parity Rule ,
MHPAEA ,
Qualified Health Plans ,
Reporting Requirements ,
Same-Sex Marriage ,
W-2 ,
Year-End Planning
Many employers offer health flexible spending account arrangements ("Health FSAs") through cafeteria plans to their employees. Historically, Health FSAs have been subject to a "use it or lose it" requirement, meaning that...more
Traditional employment laws often interact with traditional employee benefit laws. One such example is the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA)'s impact on employer-sponsored group health plans. As group health plan costs...more
4/3/2013
/ Affordable Care Act ,
Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) ,
Conditional Job Offers ,
Disability ,
Disability Discrimination ,
Discrimination ,
Employer Group Health Plans ,
GINA ,
Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) ,
Healthcare ,
Hiring & Firing