ERISA Blog | Changes to the HIPAA Privacy Rules A Primer for Self-Insured Group Health Plans
PODCAST: Williams Mullen's Benefits Companion - IRS 2024 Health Plan Affordability Threshold May Put Some at Risk
#WorkforceWednesday: Employee and Health Benefits One Year After Dobbs - Employment Law This Week®
The Burr Broadcast April 2023 - The Official End of COVID-19 Emergencies
Taking the Pulse, A Health Care and Life Sciences Video Podcast | Episode 138: Mason Ellerbe, Lead Executive for High Value Health, OneDigital
Employment Law Now VI-121 - Top 5 Fall Things You Need To Know
Dobbs on Demand: Approaching Benefits in the New Legal Environment
How the Dobbs Supreme Court Decision Affects Employee Benefits
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: Williams Mullen's Benefits Companion - 2023 Benefits Forecast with Mercer
PODCAST: Williams Mullen's Benefits Companion - New Prescription Drug and Health Coverage Reporting Requirements
#WorkforceWednesday: OSHA ETS in Review, Texas Vaccine Mandate Ban, Health Premium Incentives - Employment Law This Week®
Navigating the Nuances of the COBRA Subsidy Under the American Rescue Plan Act
PODCAST: Williams Mullen's Benefits Companion - Can Employers Impose a Health Insurance Surcharge on Plan Participants Not Vaccinated for COVID-19?
AGG Talks: Solving Employers’ Problems - Health Plan Premium Surcharges for the Unvaccinated: Are They Legal and How Do They Work?
Podcast: What's New for Insurers in Mental Health Parity Compliance - Diagnosing Health Care
Leading in a Lonely World Podcast: Meet Jamie Pagliaro, a Leader Who has Made His “Passion” for Helping Others His Life’s Work
COBRA Deadlines and Proofs of Mailing in Carter v. Southwest Airlines Co. Board of Trustees
Midyear Premium Increases and Cafeteria Plan Rules
Many employers have faced the same “knot in the stomach” moment during insurance renewal season. We’re all too familiar with the stress of inexplicably rising health care costs, especially when group plan risk pools take an...more
The topic of “food as medicine” has gained increased attention recently, driven by a growing recognition of the role nutrition plays in preventing and managing chronic diseases. This article provides a high-level overview of...more
Within days of one another, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth and Second Circuits ruled—on issues of first impression for both—that ERISA expressly preempts state law breach of contract and promissory estoppel claims...more
This month’s Friday Five explores recent decisions with issues spanning physician power of attorney to preexisting exclusions and the fiduciary duty of an insurance company....more
While social distancing restrictions associated with COVID-19 are on the wane, lawsuits seeking reimbursement for COVID-19 testing are on the rise. The issue is whether federal legislation passed at the onset of the Pandemic...more
Have questions about the new Frequently Asked Questions for group health plans’ coverage of over-the-counter COVID-19 test kits? ...more
On February 4, 2022, the U.S. Department of Labor (DOL), U.S. Department of the Treasury, and U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) issued subregulatory guidance that provides greater flexibility and clarifies a...more
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
Group health plans and health insurance issuers are now required to cover the cost of over-the-counter (OTC) COVID-19 diagnostic tests. Last week, the Departments of Labor, Health and Human Services, and the Treasury issued...more
Earlier this week, the COVID-19 testing coverage mandate was significantly expanded pursuant to FAQs issued jointly by the Departments of Labor, Health and Human Services and the Treasury (collectively, the Departments). The...more
On December 2, 2021, President Biden announced that the Departments of Labor, Health and Human Services (HHS) and the Treasury (the “Departments”) would issue guidance by January 15, 2022 to clarify that individuals who...more
As described in a recent blog post, the Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2021 amended the Mental Health Parity and Addiction Equity Act (MHPAEA) to require group health plans and health insurance issuers (collectively, “group...more
On March 11, 2021, President Biden signed the American Rescue Plan Act of 2021 (ARPA) into law. Included among the many pandemic relief provisions in ARPA is a COBRA subsidy structure that is now designed to fully subsidize...more
Employers and employees are continually feeling the pinch of rising health care costs. 2020 provides a potentially better approach to consider: Individual Coverage Health Reimbursement Arrangements (ICHRAs)....more
On Thursday, January 30, members from Verrill's Employment & Labor group, as well as some from the Employee Benefits & Executive Compensation group, conducted a full-day seminar full of employment law related topics that...more
Health Reimbursement Arrangements (HRAs) are account-based health plans funded with employer contributions to reimburse eligible participants and dependents for medical expenses. Prior to the Affordable Care Act, HRAs were...more
Many employers have contacted us over the years asking whether they may offer an “employer–payment plan” rather than offer a traditional group health insurance plan. An employer-payment plan is a type of account-based plan...more
The U.S. Departments of the Treasury, Labor, and Health and Human Services have issued final regulations allowing employers to establish health reimbursement arrangements and certain other types of reimbursement plans...more
In the past, many employers (especially smaller companies) have offered to pay their employees’ premiums for individual healthcare insurance instead of sponsoring their own group health plans. With the advent of the...more
First Data Collection Period for Clinical Laboratories Is July 1, 2015 to December 31, 2015 - In the October 1, 2015 Federal Register, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) published a proposed rule...more
For nearly two years now, the IRS has been explaining that employers are no longer permitted to reimburse employees for premiums the employees paid for individual health insurance coverage....more
The IRS’ reasoning is that such reimbursement arrangements, often referred to as “employer payment plans” are “group health plans.” All group health plans must meet the Affordable Care Act’s “market reform” requirements, such...more