PODCAST: Williams Mullen's Benefits Companion - Gag Clause Prohibitions
Changing Telehealth Rules
PODCAST: Williams Mullen's Benefits Companion - Health Plan Transparency Requirements
PODCAST: Williams Mullen's Benefits Companion - Group Health Plan Service Provider Compensation Disclosure Requirements
Podcast: What's New for Insurers in Mental Health Parity Compliance - Diagnosing Health Care
PODCAST: Williams Mullen's Benefits Companion - Employee Retention Tax Credit Expansion
Department of Labor Imposes Additional Requirement on Employer-Provided Health Services
COVID-19 Relief in 2021: What Small Businesses Need to Know
On-Demand Webinar | Navigating Leave and Disability Protection Laws During COVID-19: A Practical Guide for California Employers
COVID-19 in the Workplace - PPP Update, COVID Plans from the Biden Transition Team, Higher Education Relief Package Provision, COVID WARN Act Developments
PODCAST: Williams Mullen's Benefits Companion - New Round of COVID-19 Relief Expands Assistance for Employers
The Mental Health Parity and Addiction Equity Act of 2008 (MHPAEA) was enacted to ensure that group health plans and health insurance issuers offering mental health and substance use disorder (MH/SUD) benefits do not impose...more
On this episode of Williams Mullen's Benefits Companion, host Brydon DeWitt discusses prohibitive gag clauses under the Consolidated Appropriations Act (CAA). While intended to promote transparency, not all gag clauses are...more
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
The Mental Health Parity and Addiction Equity Act and its implementing regulations and guidance (MHPAEA) prohibit health insurance policies and group health plans that cover mental health and substance use disorder (MH/SUD)...more
On June 26, 2024, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) released draft guidance addressing use of diversity action plans (Plans) in the conduct of clinical research entitled “Diversity Action Plans to Improve Enrollment...more
As mentioned in our recent blog post, the recently filed class action lawsuit against Johnson & Johnson (Lewandowski v. Johnson & Johnson et. al., D.N.J., No. 1:24-cv-00671 (Feb. 5, 2024)) over alleged excessive prescription...more
One of the many benefits-related provisions in the Consolidated Appropriations Act of 2021 prohibits the use of “gag clauses” in group health plan agreements. Before this law, medical plan service agreements would often...more
The Consolidated Appropriations Act of 2021 generally requires group health plans and health insurance issuers to submit a Gag Clause Prohibition Compliance Attestation (Attestation) each year to demonstrate compliance with...more
As we come to the end of the year, it is a good time for employers with January 1st health plan renewals to review their plan documents and get ready for open enrollment. The following is a checklist that lists some of the...more
The SECURE 2.0 Act of 2022 (SECURE 2.0), enacted on December 29, 2022, as Division T of the Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2023 (Public Law No. 117-328), included a broad array of provisions affecting retirement plans and...more
The Secure 2.0 Act (Secure 2.0), a sweeping retirement bill included in Division T of the Consolidated Appropriations Act of 2023, was a major bipartisan accomplishment of the 117th Congress. The bill included 82 provisions...more
The August Monthly Minute presents Part II of our mental health parity update and provides highlights of the latest report to Congress on NQTL comparative analyses. While service providers lead the way through mental health...more
The Department of Labor (DOL), the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), and the Department of Treasury (collectively, the Departments) recently issued proposed Mental Health Parity and Addiction Equity Act (MHPAEA)...more
On July 25, 2023, HHS, the Department of Labor, and the Department of the Treasury (the Departments) issued proposed rules (Proposed Rules) and other information regarding health plan and issuer compliance with mental health...more
There has never been a better time for plan sponsors to prioritize reviewing and self-correcting eligible plan failures. SECURE 2.0, attached to the 2022 year-end Consolidated Appropriations Act, expands retirement savings...more
The Department of Defense, General Services Administration, and NASA have issued a new interim rule, FAR 52.204–27, implementing Section 102 of Division R of the Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2023 (Pub. L. 117–328), the...more
The federal government's most recent TikTok ban is both simple and complex. The prohibition bans federal contractors from using or even installing the TikTok app on covered information technology (IT) devices....more
Effective December 27, 2020, the Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2021 (“CAA”), as part of its transparency in health care protections, prohibits group health plans and issuers from entering into agreements that directly or...more
On January 1, 2022, the new Medicaid clinical research coverage law became effective requiring states to add clinical research coverage as a mandatory benefit for Medicaid enrollees. In response, research teams, revenue cycle...more
Earlier this month, bipartisan legislation was introduced in the U.S. Congress that would allow the U.S. to regulate and even ban the app TikTok. Although the proposed legislation has dominated the news coverage, a recent...more
On February 23, 2023, the Departments of Labor, Treasury, and Health and Human Services (the “Departments”) issued new guidance (in the form of FAQs) implementing the No Surprises Act’s prohibition on “gag clauses” in...more
Session #1: State of the Healthcare Industry Effective Compliance Plans and Enforcement Trends - In their discussion of compliance program effectiveness and enforcement, attorneys Kolarik and Waltz and Ms. Sumner...more
For nearly three years, federal and state agencies have waived or relaxed regulatory requirements and expanded reimbursement for services due to the COVID-19 public health emergency (PHE), but the signs indicate that the...more
The widely publicized 2022 Report to Congress regarding the Mental Health Parity and Addiction Equity Act (“Parity Act”) forewarned greater enforcement efforts by the Department of Labor and highlighted suspected deficiencies...more
In our January 2022 update, we discussed new federal requirements that group health plans should pay close attention to in 2022. The sponsor of a self-funded plan will need to work closely with its legal counsel, benefits...more