The No Surprises Act (the NSA) bans “gag clauses” that prevent disclosure of price or quality information in agreements between health plans and certain service providers. In addition, the NSA requires plan sponsors to attest...more
3/28/2023
/ Attestation Requirements ,
Benefit Plan Sponsors ,
Contract Terms ,
Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) ,
Department of Labor (DOL) ,
Disclosure Requirements ,
Employer Group Health Plans ,
Gag Clauses ,
Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) ,
New Guidance ,
No Surprises Act (NSA) ,
U.S. Treasury
Pursuant to recent federal guidance, group health plans and insurers must now cover over-the-counter COVID-19 tests without cost-sharing, prior authorization or other medical management requirements effective January 15,...more
Each year, employers are faced with a number of year end deadlines related to employee benefits as well as new requirements facing them in the coming year. This article is meant to provide a brief summary of those issues....more
11/24/2021
/ Benefit Plan Sponsors ,
Cafeteria Plans ,
CARES Act ,
Coronavirus/COVID-19 ,
Employee Benefits ,
Employer Group Health Plans ,
IRS ,
Mental Health Parity Rule ,
Retirement Plan ,
SECURE Act ,
Virus Testing ,
Year-End Planning
On September 30, 2021, the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) issued FAQs addressing how the HIPAA Privacy Rule applies to individuals’ disclosures of their COVID-19 vaccination status in the workplace and health...more
10/18/2021
/ Affordable Care Act ,
Coronavirus/COVID-19 ,
Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) ,
Department of Labor (DOL) ,
Employer Group Health Plans ,
Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) ,
HIPAA Privacy Rule ,
New Guidance ,
U.S. Treasury ,
Vaccinations ,
Wellness Programs
As we previously reported, the recently enacted American Rescue Plan Act of 2021 (ARPA) includes a six-month COBRA premium subsidy whereby the federal government subsidizes 100% of the COBRA premium during the period of April...more
4/13/2021
/ American Rescue Plan Act of 2021 ,
Benefit Plan Sponsors ,
Biden Administration ,
COBRA ,
Coronavirus/COVID-19 ,
Department of Labor (DOL) ,
Employer Group Health Plans ,
Health Insurance ,
Notice Requirements ,
Premium Subsidies ,
Relief Measures
The Internal Revenue Service (IRS) recently issued Notice 2021-15 to clarify certain aspects of the Taxpayer Certainty and Disaster Tax Relief Act of 2020 (the Act), and to extend cafeteria plan election flexibility in 2021...more
As previously reported in the Fast Laner, a number of large employers were hit by a wave of class action lawsuits in 2016 involving claims related to deficient COBRA notices. In the case involving Wal-Mart, a federal judge in...more
There is an increasing trend in legal challenges to an employer’s administration of a wellness program and whether that program violates the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) and the Genetic Information Nondiscrimination...more
8/19/2019
/ AARP ,
Abuse of Discretion ,
Affordable Care Act ,
Class Action ,
Corporate Counsel ,
Employer Group Health Plans ,
Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) ,
GINA ,
Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) ,
Incentives ,
Wellness Programs