Federal regulators recently indicated they will not enforce parts of the final regulations issued in September 2024 under the Mental Health Parity and Addiction Equity Act (MHPAEA) and may soon propose new rules altogether....more
Employers will soon see the national debate about abortion popping up in some unexpected places: the HIPAA privacy policies and procedures and notices of privacy practices they use for their health benefit plans....more
5/6/2024
/ Abortion ,
Benefit Plan Sponsors ,
Compliance ,
Covered Entities ,
Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization ,
Employer Group Health Plans ,
Health Insurance ,
Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) ,
HIPAA Privacy Rule ,
Notice Requirements ,
Reproductive Healthcare Issues ,
Substance Abuse
On June 24, 2022, the Supreme Court of the United States issued its highly anticipated decision in Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization, No. 19-1392. The Dobbs decision expressly overrules the two key precedents that...more
6/24/2022
/ Abortion ,
Affordable Care Act ,
Benefit Plan Sponsors ,
COBRA ,
Criminal Code ,
Employee Benefits ,
Employee Retirement Income Security Act (ERISA) ,
Employer Group Health Plans ,
Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) ,
Health Insurance ,
Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) ,
Medical Reimbursement ,
Mental Health ,
Mental Health Parity Rule ,
Pharmacy Benefit Manager (PBM) ,
Preemption ,
Roe v Wade ,
SCOTUS ,
Telehealth
Although the fate of the Occupational Safety and Health Administration’s (OSHA) rules remains in limbo, many employers are moving ahead with efforts to comply with the OSHA emergency temporary standard (ETS) that requires...more
11/18/2021
/ CARES Act ,
Coronavirus/COVID-19 ,
Corporate Counsel ,
Employee Assistance Programs ,
Employee Retirement Income Security Act (ERISA) ,
Employer Group Health Plans ,
Employer Mandates ,
Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) ,
OSHA ,
Vaccinations ,
Virus Testing ,
Workplace Safety
Employers that are considering imposing health plan premium surcharges to encourage their employees to get vaccinated have clearer guidance on how to do so without running afoul of the nondiscrimination rules under the Health...more
10/7/2021
/ Affordable Care Act ,
CARES Act ,
Coronavirus/COVID-19 ,
Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) ,
Department of Labor (DOL) ,
Employee Benefits ,
Employer Group Health Plans ,
Guidance Update ,
Health Insurance ,
Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) ,
Non-Discrimination Rules ,
Plan Participants ,
Surcharges ,
Vaccinations
Don’t look now, but another HIPAA deadline is just around the corner.
As we noted last month, the deadline is looming for employer-sponsored health benefit plans to come into compliance with U.S. Department of Health...more
Beginning this fall, employer health plans—or their business associates—will have to make more comprehensive and methodical risk assessments following the discovery of an impermissible use or disclosure of unsecured...more