Last year, the federal Office for Civil Rights (OCR) modified the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) Privacy Rule to strengthen protections for reproductive health care information (the “2024 Rule”)....more
6/26/2025
/ Abortion ,
Administrative Procedure Act ,
Appeals ,
Covered Entities ,
Data Privacy ,
Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) ,
Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization ,
Enforcement Actions ,
Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) ,
Judicial Authority ,
OCR ,
PHI ,
Privacy Laws ,
Reproductive Healthcare Issues ,
Vacated
A “tobacco surcharge” is part of many employers’ wellness programs, where the employer charges tobacco users higher health insurance premiums than non-tobacco users. A typical tobacco surcharge program will ask an employee if...more
1/15/2025
/ Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) ,
Class Action ,
Compliance ,
Employee Benefits ,
Employer Liability Issues ,
Employment Litigation ,
Employment Policies ,
Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) ,
Health Insurance ,
Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) ,
Insurance Industry ,
Regulatory Requirements ,
Settlement ,
Surcharges ,
Tobacco ,
Wellness Programs
With President Joseph Biden’s administration having announced its intent to end the presidential COVID-19 National Emergency on May 11, 2023, and with the COVID-19 Public Health Emergency ("Public Health Emergency") set to...more
After a long three years of the COVID-19 pandemic, the Biden administration has announced its intent to end the presidential COVID-19 national emergency on May 11, 2023. Employers should prepare their benefit plans for a...more