Two recent U.S. Supreme Court rulings support provisions of the Affordable Care Act, one directly and one indirectly....more
7/3/2025
/ Affordable Care Act ,
Appeals ,
Constitutional Challenges ,
Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) ,
Government Agencies ,
Health Insurance ,
Injunctions ,
Judicial Authority ,
SCOTUS ,
Statutory Interpretation ,
Trump v CASA ,
Trump vs New Jersey ,
Trump vs Washington
A federal district court has vacated a federal regulation under HIPAA that provided special restrictions on the disclosure of reproductive health information....more
6/25/2025
/ Abortion ,
Biden Administration ,
Constitutional Challenges ,
Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) ,
Fertility Treatments ,
Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) ,
Judicial Authority ,
Patient Privacy Rights ,
Regulatory Reform ,
Reproductive Healthcare Issues ,
Trump Administration ,
Vacated ,
Women's Rights
A recent court filing offers a reprieve to health plan sponsors in their efforts to comply with final regulations issued last year under the Mental Health Parity and Addiction Equity Act (MHPAEA)....more
5/14/2025
/ Compensation & Benefits ,
Consolidated Appropriations Act (CAA) ,
Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) ,
Department of Labor (DOL) ,
Employee Benefits ,
Employer Group Health Plans ,
Final Rules ,
Health Insurance ,
Mental Health ,
MHPAEA ,
NQTLs ,
Regulatory Agenda ,
Regulatory Reform ,
Stays ,
U.S. Treasury
Section 1557 of the Affordable Care Act mandates nondiscrimination in health care programs managed or funded by the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), with upcoming deadlines for compliance set for May and July...more
4/18/2025
/ Affordable Care Act ,
Biden Administration ,
Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) ,
Discrimination ,
Executive Orders ,
Filing Deadlines ,
Foreign Language ,
Health Insurance ,
Healthcare ,
Healthcare Reform ,
LGBTQ ,
Medicare ,
Medicare Part B ,
Regulatory Requirements ,
Section 1557 ,
Trump Administration
The Departments of the Treasury, Labor, and Health and Human Services have published final regulations under the Mental Health Parity and Addiction Equity Act that prohibit group health plans and health insurers from imposing...more
10/15/2024
/ Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) ,
Department of Labor (DOL) ,
Employee Benefits ,
Employee Retirement Income Security Act (ERISA) ,
Employer Group Health Plans ,
Final Rules ,
Health and Welfare Plans ,
Health Insurance ,
Healthcare Reform ,
Mental Health ,
Mental Health Parity Rule ,
MHPAEA ,
NQTLs ,
U.S. Treasury
A new and unprecedented wave of class action complaints is targeting a common feature of many employer-sponsored benefit plans: tobacco-user surcharges. These surcharges are often part of a wellness program that charges...more
10/3/2024
/ Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) ,
Anti-Discrimination Policies ,
Class Action ,
Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) ,
Employer Group Health Plans ,
Health and Welfare Plans ,
Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) ,
Public Health ,
Surcharges ,
Tobacco ,
Tobacco Regulations
The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) has issued final regulations on the nondiscrimination rules set forth in Section 1557 of the Affordable Care Act. The new rules apply to certain group health plans, as...more
6/19/2024
/ Affordable Care Act ,
Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) ,
Employee Benefits ,
Employees ,
Employer Liability Issues ,
Health Insurance ,
Health Plan Sponsors ,
Healthcare ,
Medicare ,
New Rules ,
Proposed Rules ,
Sex Discrimination
You are the HIPAA privacy official of a hospital or health plan (a covered entity under HIPAA). You receive an email from a vendor that handles protected health information (a business associate), informing you that one month...more
1/5/2024
/ Cybersecurity ,
Data Breach ,
Data Privacy ,
Data Protection ,
Data Security ,
Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) ,
Electronic Medical Records ,
Health Care Providers ,
Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) ,
Healthcare ,
Personally Identifiable Information
The United States Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) has filed court pleadings stating that it does not intend to initiate enforcement actions against plans that maintain copay accumulator programs....more
12/11/2023
/ Affordable Care Act ,
Co-payments ,
Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) ,
Employee Benefits ,
Employees ,
Employer Group Health Plans ,
Enforcement Guidance ,
Final Rules ,
Health Insurance ,
Healthcare ,
Non-Enforcement ,
Pharmaceutical Industry ,
Prescription Drugs ,
Rulemaking Process
Summary -
Employers taking advantage of copay accumulator programs now face unexpected administrative complications following a recent federal court decision....more
10/18/2023
/ Affordable Care Act ,
Benefit Plan Sponsors ,
Co-payments ,
Cost-Sharing ,
Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) ,
Employee Benefits ,
Employees ,
Health Insurance ,
Out-of-Pocket Expenses ,
Prescription Drug Coverage ,
Prescription Drugs ,
Subsidies ,
Third-Party
Summary -
The Departments of Labor, Health and Human Services, and the Treasury have proposed regulations under the Mental Health Parity Act that build on prior guidance to set forth requirements for an extremely detailed...more
8/16/2023
/ Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) ,
Department of Labor (DOL) ,
Employee Benefits ,
Health Insurance ,
Healthcare ,
Mental Health ,
Mental Health Parity Rule ,
MHPAEA ,
NQTLs ,
Proposed Regulation ,
Proposed Rules ,
U.S. Treasury
Summary -
On July 25, 2023, the Departments of Labor, Treasury, and Health & Human Services (the Departments) released joint proposed regulations and other guidance under the Paul Wellstone and Pete Domenici Mental Health...more
8/1/2023
/ Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) ,
Department of Labor (DOL) ,
Employee Benefits ,
Health Insurance ,
Healthcare ,
Mental Health ,
Mental Health Parity Rule ,
MHPAEA ,
NQTLs ,
Proposed Regulation ,
Proposed Rules ,
U.S. Treasury
Summary -
The Departments of Labor, Health and Human Services, and the Treasury have issued guidance that coordinates application of the No Surprise Billing rules under the Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2021, with the...more
Summary -
The Departments of Labor, the Treasury, and Health and Human Services have jointly issued FAQs that address the requirement to cover the full cost of certain preventive care services in view of the recent ruling...more
4/19/2023
/ Advisory Committee ,
Affordable Care Act ,
Biden Administration ,
Coronavirus/COVID-19 ,
Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) ,
Department of Labor (DOL) ,
Employee Benefits ,
Health Insurance ,
Healthcare ,
HRSA ,
New Guidance ,
Preventive Health Care
Summary -
Health plans and insurance policies may no longer be required to cover the full cost of preventive care that carries an A or B rating by the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force (USPSTF), following a recent ruling...more
In a new set of Frequently Asked Questions, the U.S. Departments of Labor, Health and Human Services, and the Treasury provide significant relief to health plan sponsors and insurers seeking to report on expenditures for...more