News & Analysis as of

Benefit Plan Sponsors Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) Employee Retirement Income Security Act (ERISA)

Seyfarth Shaw LLP

Parity in Peril? Plan Sponsors Breathe Easier As Trump Administration Hits Pause on Enforcement of Mental Health Parity Final Rule

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On May 15, 2025 the Departments of Labor, Health and Human Services, and Treasury (the “Departments”) announced they will temporarily not enforce their new standards published under the mental health parity Final Rule last...more

Ogletree, Deakins, Nash, Smoak & Stewart,...

Employer Group Sues to Block Mental Health Parity Rules

Only weeks after the principal effective date for the final 2024 federal mental health parity rules for employer-sponsored health benefit plans, those rules—and specifically some key features that are frustrating...more

Ogletree, Deakins, Nash, Smoak & Stewart,...

What Will Trump 2.0 Mean for Employee Benefits? - One Place to Look for Clues: Project 2025

Even as high-priority issues such as diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI), immigration, and Ukraine take center stage in the first months of the new presidential administration, many employers are wondering what the next...more

Jackson Lewis P.C.

Health and Welfare Plans: Recent Topics in Year-End Compliance

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As we bid farewell to 2024 and look ahead to the new year, we reflect on the many evolving compliance obligations that health and welfare plan sponsors tackle each year. Although this list is by no means exhaustive, it...more

Alston & Bird

Final Mental Health Parity Rules: A Plan Sponsor’s Implementation Guide

Alston & Bird on

Our Employee Benefits & Executive Compensation Group discusses what health plan sponsors need to know about the final rule on nonquantitative treatment limitations (NQTLs) and NQTL comparative analysis under the Mental Health...more

Snell & Wilmer

2024 End-of-Year Plan Sponsor “To Do” List (Part 1) Health and Welfare

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We are pleased to present our annual End of Year Plan Sponsor “To Do” Lists. This year, we present our “To Do” Lists in four separate SW Benefits Updates. This Part 1 covers year-end health and welfare plan issues. Parts 2,...more

Verrill

Final Mental Health Parity Rule Spells Compliance Changes

Verrill on

The long-anticipated final rule under the Mental Health Parity and Addiction Equity Act (MHPAEA) was published on September 9, 2024. The MHPAEA prohibits group health plans that provide mental health and substance use...more

Bradley Arant Boult Cummings LLP

Group Health Plan Sponsors Take Note: New Developments Relating to the Privacy and Cybersecurity of Plan Participants’ Health...

There have been two important developments in the law applicable to the privacy and cybersecurity of group health plan participants’ health information. Plan sponsors must review plan policies and procedures, provider...more

Faegre Drinker Biddle & Reath LLP

Reproductive Health Information Protections Afforded by New HIPAA Privacy Guidance

On April 26, 2024, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) issued a Final Rule updating certain Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) privacy rules with respect to the disclosure of...more

Akerman LLP - Health Law Rx

MHPAEA Final Rule: Clarity on Mental Health Parity?

The three federal agencies tasked with enforcement of the Mental Health Parity and Addiction Equity Act (MHPAEA) — the Departments of Labor, Health & Human Services (through CMS), and Treasury (the Departments) — issued their...more

Keating Muething & Klekamp PLL

Benefits Monthly Minute - December 2023

Happy Holidays! The December Monthly Minute includes a fiduciary checkup reminder and a look at HHS’ recent settlement stemming from a phishing attack that impacted ePHI of nearly 35,000 individuals....more

Bass, Berry & Sims PLC

New Proposed Mental Health Parity Rules Amid Report of Widespread Failure

Bass, Berry & Sims PLC on

On July 25, the Department of Labor, Department of the Treasury, and Department of Health and Human Services (the Departments) released new Proposed Rules (Proposed Rules) that clarify certain requirements imposed by the...more

Davis Wright Tremaine LLP

Agencies Release FAQs Confirming Impact of End of the COVID-19 Emergency Declarations on Employee Benefit Plans

Employers should prepare now for impacts to their employee benefit plans when the COVID-19 Outbreak Period expires. On March 29, 2023, in anticipation of the ends of both the National Emergency and Public Health Emergency,...more

Alston & Bird

Breaking Up Is Hard to Do: The End of the COVID Mandates and Outbreak Period Extensions

Alston & Bird on

The National Emergency brought about by the COVID-19 pandemic may be at an end, but there are still administrative details to sort out. Our Employee Benefits & Executive Compensation Group provides in-depth analysis for how...more

Morgan Lewis

COVID-19 Public Health and National Emergencies to End May 11—or Earlier

Morgan Lewis on

With the COVID-19 public health emergency and the presidential declaration of national emergency intended to end on May 11 and the US government recently issuing guidance on unwinding these emergency declarations, this...more

Holland & Hart - The Benefits Dial

What Happens in a Small Town Stays in a Small Town … Until the DOL Doubles Down on Mental Health Parity Compliance

The Department of Labor (DOL), the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), and the Department of Treasury (collectively, the Departments) recently issued their joint report to Congress regarding their Mental Health...more

Ogletree, Deakins, Nash, Smoak & Stewart,...

Making a List, Checking It Twice: Year-End Guidance on Drug Cost Reporting

Employers and their benefit administrators have more detail and a more convenient way to submit “top 50” lists and other data - but no more time to comply with - daunting prescription drug cost reporting requirements in the...more

Bass, Berry & Sims PLC

DOL to Focus on Red Flags in Mental Health Parity Requests

Bass, Berry & Sims PLC on

Last week, the Department of Labor (DOL) announced that it will focus on requesting information from employers where there are potential “red flags” of non-compliance with the provisions and rules of the Mental Health Parity...more

Jackson Walker

Health Plan Changes in the Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2021

Jackson Walker on

The protections for participants and their beneficiaries in the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (ACA) were expanded by the Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2021 (the “Act”). Some of the changes build on concepts in...more

Ogletree, Deakins, Nash, Smoak & Stewart,...

Consolidated Appropriations Act Requirements to Increase Health Plan Transparency

The Consolidated Appropriations Act (CAA), 2021, which was signed into law December 27, 2020, includes provisions designed to increase transparency in employee health benefit plans in four key areas. Removal of Gag Clauses...more

Fisher Phillips

New Benefit Plan Deadline Extensions Provide Opportunities For Participants – And Burdens For Plan Sponsors

Fisher Phillips on

The Department of Labor (DOL), in coordination with the IRS and the Treasury Department, recently issued new rules extending key deadlines for health, retirement, and welfare plans subject to ERISA and the Internal Revenue...more

Ogletree, Deakins, Nash, Smoak & Stewart,...

Time Is on Your Side: Additional COVID-19 Relief Now Available for Employee Benefit Plan Sponsors and Participants

Deadlines are an inescapable aspect of administering employee benefits plans, and even in the midst of a pandemic that seems to have slowed the progress of days to a crawl, time is always in short supply. Fortunately, the...more

Perkins Coie

COVID-19 Relief for Employer-Sponsored Benefit Plans: Federal Government Announces Deadline Extensions and Other Short-Term Relief

Perkins Coie on

Many employee benefit plan sponsors, administrators, and fiduciaries have been asking about regulatory relief in response to administrative challenges created by the COVID-19 pandemic. Most recently, the U.S. Departments of...more

Miller Canfield

U.S. Government Extends Certain Deadlines For Employee Benefit Plans Due To COVID-19 National Emergency

Miller Canfield on

Recognizing the challenges facing employee benefit plan sponsors, administrators, and participants, on April 28, 2020, the Departments of Treasury (“DOT”), Labor (“DOL”) and Health and Human Services (“HHS”) extended certain...more

Ogletree, Deakins, Nash, Smoak & Stewart,...

FAQs Clarify COVID-19 Testing and Diagnosis Requirements for Employer Health Plans

Employers now have greater clarity on how the new federal requirements covering COVID-19 testing and diagnosis apply to their group health plans, under guidance issued by the U.S. Department of Labor, U.S. Department of...more

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