On December 23, 2024, President Biden signed into law two bills that will simplify employer reporting compliance under the Affordable Care Act (ACA). The new laws streamline the rules for employers furnishing ACA reporting...more
The US Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) recently issued final regulations implementing Section 1557 of the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act, which will restore and expand the scope of civil rights...more
Fiduciary committees have long been established in connection with retirement plans to manage the investment, legal compliance, and operational risks that can arise under the Employee Retirement Income Security Act of 1974,...more
Permissible Flexibility under Code Section 125 Pursuant to IRS Notice 2021-15 Notice 2021-15 offered plan sponsors the flexibility to adopt any of the following options despite the longstanding rules under Section 125 of the...more
11/9/2021
/ Affordable Care Act ,
American Rescue Plan Act of 2021 ,
Benefit Plan Sponsors ,
COBRA ,
Employee Benefits ,
Employer Group Health Plans ,
Flexible Spending Accounts ,
Interim Final Rules (IFR) ,
Mental Health Parity Rule ,
NQTLs ,
TPAs
On July 19, the US Departments of Labor, Health and Human Services, and Treasury (the Departments) issued Part 47 of their frequently asked questions (FAQs) about Affordable Care Act (ACA) implementation. There are three new...more
The US Departments of Treasury, Labor, and Health and Human Services (the Departments) along with the Office of Personnel Management (OPM) issued Requirements Related to Surprise Billing; Part I on July 1. ...more
As the nation has turned its attention to fighting a global pandemic and the very real, human cost associated with that fight, the decade-old battle over the Affordable Care Act (ACA) is once again in the limelight. On...more
11/9/2020
/ Affordable Care Act ,
Article III ,
California v Texas ,
Certiorari ,
Employee Benefits ,
Individual Mandate ,
Minimum Essential Coverage ,
Regulatory Burden ,
SCOTUS ,
Severability Doctrine ,
Standing
Autonomous cars, sports betting, and CBD products have burst onto the scene, setting the stage for major developments in how companies do business and how regulators monitor new innovations....more
2/10/2020
/ Affordable Care Act ,
Appropriations Bill ,
Automotive Industry ,
Big Data ,
Bioengineering ,
Cannabidiol (CBD) oil ,
Cannabis Products ,
CFIUS ,
Covered Transactions ,
Critical Infrastructure Sectors ,
Cross-Border Transactions ,
Cyber Attacks ,
Cybersecurity ,
Decriminalization of Marijuana ,
Final Rules ,
FIRRMA ,
Food and Drug Administration (FDA) ,
Food Labeling ,
Food Safety ,
Food Supply ,
Foreign Investment ,
Health Insurance ,
Healthcare Reform ,
Intellectual Property Protection ,
Legislative Agendas ,
Marijuana ,
Medicaid ,
Medical Foods ,
National Security ,
Oil & Gas ,
Pipelines ,
Plant Based Products ,
Recreational Use ,
Retail Market ,
Sports Betting ,
Sports Gambling ,
Standard Essential Patents ,
Taxation ,
USDA
In the much anticipated decision State of Texas v. United States of America, et al., the US Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit upheld a district court ruling that the individual mandate under the Affordable Care Act (ACA)...more
The Internal Revenue Service (IRS) has released IRS Notice 2019-63, which provides a 30-day automatic extension to furnish to employees/covered individuals the 2019 IRS Forms 1095-B (Health Coverage) and 1095-C...more
Judge John Bates of the US District Court for the District of Columbia recently struck down two parts of the US Department of Labor’s (DOL’s) final regulations on Association Health Plans (AHPs). On March 28, Judge Bates...more
While plan sponsors of group health plans breathed a little easier this year-end, there are still important action items and reminders to consider as we look to 2016....more
1/5/2016
/ Affordable Care Act ,
Cadillac Tax ,
Employer Group Health Plans ,
Filing Deadlines ,
Form 1095 ,
Health and Welfare Plans ,
IRS ,
Large Employer ,
PCORI ,
Reporting Requirements ,
Time Extensions
Plan sponsors now have the final piece of the puzzle needed to finalize their 2015 pay-or-play strategies.
The Internal Revenue Service (IRS) and the U.S. Department of the Treasury recently issued the highly...more
2/26/2014
/ Affordable Care Act ,
Corporate Counsel ,
Employee Definition ,
Full-Time Employees ,
IRS ,
New Hires ,
Part-Time Employees ,
Pay or Play ,
Safe Harbors ,
Shared Responsibility Rule ,
Transition Relief ,
U.S. Treasury
Group health plan sponsors turn their attention to completing 2013 tasks, implementing upcoming 2014 changes, preparing for the ACA Shared Responsibility requirement in 2015, and documenting recent extensive plan changes....more
12/19/2013
/ Affordable Care Act ,
COBRA ,
Employer Group Health Plans ,
Flexible Spending Accounts ,
Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) ,
Healthcare ,
HRA ,
Mental Health Parity Rule ,
MHPAEA ,
Reporting Requirements ,
W-2 ,
Wellness Programs ,
Year-End Planning