On July 4, 2025, President Trump signed the One Big Beautiful Bill Act (OBBBA) into law. This sweeping tax and spending package affects large swaths of the US economy. Though reduced significantly from the original House...more
The July Monthly Minute highlights several benefits provisions under the One Big Beautiful Bill Act and offers reminders about upcoming PCORI and Form 5500 deadlines. Many Benefits, One Big Beautiful Bill On July 4, 2025,...more
Employers’ high deductible health plans (HDHPs) can continue to cover COVID-19 testing and treatment without violating the eligibility rules for health savings accounts (HSAs)—but only through 2024—under new Internal Revenue...more
After nearly three years of emergency measures related to COVID-19, the U.S. government acted this spring to officially end the COVID-19 Public Health Emergency and the National Emergency. Accordingly, the Departments of...more
The Biden administration originally announced its intent to end the COVID-19 National Emergency (NE) and the COVID-19 Public Health Emergency (PHE) on May 11, 2023 (read our prior article for more information). Although the...more
We previously wrote about President Biden’s announcement to end the COVID-19 Public Health Emergency (PHE) and National Emergency (NE) periods on May 11, 2023, and the practical ramifications for employer group health plan...more
The Biden administration has announced its intention to end the COVID-19 National Emergency (NE) and the COVID-19 Public Health Emergency (PHE) on May 11, 2023 (read our series introduction for more information)....more
The Biden administration has announced its intent to end the COVID-19 National Emergency (NE) and the COVID-19 Public Health Emergency (PHE) on May 11, 2023 (read our prior article for more information). In response to the...more
Earlier this week, President Biden announced his intent to end both the COVID-19 National Emergency and the COVID-19 Public Health Emergency (PHE) on May 11, 2023. Once these emergencies end, group health plans will shed some...more
The Consolidated Appropriations Act 2022 (“CAA 2022”), signed by President Biden on March 15, 2022, reinstated temporary relief for high deductible health plans (“HDHPs”) to provide pre-deductible coverage of telehealth...more
The Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2022 (the Act), was passed by the U.S. House and Senate on March 9th and 10th, 2022, and signed into law by the President on March 15, 2022. The Act extends certain telehealth...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
As employers and insurers continue to establish programs to enable participants in group health plans to receive at-home COVID-19 tests at no cost, even without a prescription, the Department of Labor (DOL) has issued...more
Presented below is our summary of significant Internal Revenue Serve (IRS) guidance and relevant tax matters for the week of March 29, 2021 – April 2, 2021. March 29, 2021: The IRS issued Notice 2021-21 and an...more
On December 27, 2020 Congress passed the Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2021 (CAA). The CAA provides relief for employees whose dependent care and health care FSA accounts were impacted by the pandemic. This relief will...more
On December 27, 2020, President Trump signed the over $2 trillion omnibus appropriations and COVID-19 relief package, the Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2021 (“Act”). The Act includes provisions funding the government...more
In response to the COVID-19 crisis, many employers have been faced with the difficult task of taking short-term measures to preserve long-term viability. Measures taken include layoffs, furloughs, reduced work schedules, and...more
The IRS recently issued Notice 2020-29, allowing §125 cafeteria plans and high-deductible health plan (HDHP) changes during the remainder of 2020....more
On May 12, the IRS released Notices 2020-29 and 2020-33, which collectively provide various forms of relief under the existing IRC Section 125/129 rules in light of the COVID-19 pandemic. ...more
Congress has reversed course and amended the Internal Revenue Code (“Code”) to provide that a health flexible spending account (“health FSA”), health savings account (“HSA”) and health reimbursement account (“HRA”) may...more
In response to the COVID-19 pandemic, the IRS has issued Notice 2020-23, which automatically extends the deadlines for certain filing obligations that would otherwise be due on or after April 1, 2020, and before July 15,...more
On March 27, the President signed the Coronavirus Aid, Relief and Economic Security Act (“CARES Act” or “Act”), which contains a number of tax- and employee benefit-related provisions that are intended to provide economic...more
Employers are trying to be as generous as possible during the interruption to normal operations caused by COVID-19, including by keeping benefits in place even when salaries are out of the question. Every penny and decision...more
The Families First Coronavirus Response Act (the “FFCRA”) was passed into law on March 18, 2020. Soon thereafter (on March 27, 2020), the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security Act (the “CARES Act”) was enacted. The...more
A new IRS notice extends the deadline for individuals to make health savings account (HSA) contributions from April 15, 2020 to July 15, 2020. The IRS issued the notice to provide taxpayers with various tax filing and...more