The January 1, 2022, deadline is approaching for plan sponsors to post the required notice informing participants of certain changes affecting how medical benefits may be billed under their health plan. This notice is...more
As anticipated, the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) issued Notice 2021-31 (the Notice) yesterday, providing important guidance to employers and plan administrators regarding their COBRA subsidy-related obligations under the...more
5/20/2021
/ American Rescue Plan Act of 2021 ,
Biden Administration ,
COBRA ,
Coronavirus/COVID-19 ,
Employee Benefits ,
Health and Welfare Plans ,
Health Insurance ,
Infectious Diseases ,
IRS ,
New Legislation ,
Premium Subsidies ,
Relief Measures ,
Tax Credits
The COBRA subsidy period (April 1, 2021 – September 30, 2021) has begun and with a number of issues still outstanding, employers have no time to lose when it comes to preparing to administer the COBRA subsidy required by the...more
4/28/2021
/ American Rescue Plan Act of 2021 ,
Biden Administration ,
COBRA ,
Coronavirus/COVID-19 ,
Employee Benefits ,
Health and Welfare Plans ,
Health Insurance ,
Infectious Diseases ,
New Legislation ,
Premium Subsidies ,
Relief Measures ,
Tax Credits
On March 11, 2021, President Biden signed into law the American Rescue Plan Act of 2021 (ARPA), the latest COVID-19 relief bill, which includes a substantial, temporary government subsidy of COBRA (Consolidated Omnibus Budget...more
On February 18, 2021, the IRS released Notice 2021-15 (the Notice), which provides additional guidance clarifying many open issues following implementation of Section 214 of the Consolidated Appropriations Act (CAA). Section...more
On December 27, 2020, President Trump signed into law the Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2021 (the CAA), a second stimulus package and the most recent of several major pieces of legislation to be enacted since the start of...more
1/8/2021
/ CARES Act ,
Consolidated Appropriations Act (CAA) ,
Coronavirus/COVID-19 ,
Employee Benefits ,
Families First Coronavirus Response Act (FFCRA) ,
Flexible Spending Accounts ,
Health and Welfare Plans ,
Health Insurance ,
Infectious Diseases ,
New Legislation ,
Retirement Plan ,
Tax Credits
On May 12, 2020, the IRS issued two notices affecting employee elections under Code Section 125 cafeteria plans. The COVID-19 pandemic and large-scale "stay at home" orders left many employers facing questions relating to...more
On May 4, 2020, the Department of Labor and Department of Treasury (the Departments) issued joint guidance requiring certain COBRA, HIPAA and ERISA deadlines be determined without regard to the “Outbreak Period,” which began...more
Energy and Critical Infrastructure Industries Warned of Increased Attacks by FBI and DHS -
The FBI and Department of Homeland Security issued a joint statement on October 20, 2017 warning of an increased danger of a...more
10/27/2017
/ Affordable Care Act ,
Airspace ,
Critical Infrastructure Sectors ,
Cyber Attacks ,
Cyber Crimes ,
Cyberbullying ,
Cybersecurity ,
Data Protection ,
Department of Homeland Security (DHS) ,
Drones ,
Electricity ,
Electronic Medical Records ,
Energy Sector ,
FBI ,
Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) ,
FERC ,
Hackers ,
Health Care Providers ,
Health Insurance ,
Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) ,
HIPAA Breach ,
Information Technology ,
Internet ,
Medical Records ,
Nonprofits ,
OCR ,
Open Enrollment ,
Personally Identifiable Information ,
PHI ,
Popular ,
Power Grid ,
TCPA ,
Technology Sector ,
Utilities Sector
With open enrollment in full swing for many employers, now is a good time to review employee benefit communications. Plan sponsors of health plans are generally responsible for properly administering all of the health plan...more
10/26/2017
/ Affordable Care Act ,
Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) ,
Children's Health Insurance Program (CHIP) ,
Data Protection ,
Disclosure Requirements ,
Electronic Medical Records ,
GINA ,
Health Insurance ,
Health Insurance Exchanges ,
Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) ,
Non-Discrimination Rules ,
Open Enrollment ,
PHI ,
Popular ,
Privacy Notice Rule ,
Public Health Insurance Marketplace ,
Wellness Programs
The Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) issued interim final rules on October 6, 2017, expanding exemptions to protect religious beliefs and moral convictions for certain entities and individuals whose health plans...more
Recently, the U.S. Supreme Court, in Gobeille v. Liberty Mutual Insurance Co., 2016 U.S. LEXIS 1612, underscored the broad extent to which the preemption language of the Employee Retirement Income Security Act of 1974...more
The Anthem and Premera Blue Cross data breaches caused widespread panic throughout the employer health plan community earlier this year. For many, these data breach announcements served as a wakeup call for employer health...more