America’s cultural wars may be opening up a new front, and group health plans may be caught in the fray. Since the US Supreme Court decision in Dobbs ended almost fifty years of constitutional protection for abortion rights and gave states the authority to regulate abortion, lawmakers (or citizens) have either enacted new prohibitions on
Employee Health & Welfare Plans
Self-Insured Health Plans: Adjusted PCORI Fee Announced for 2024
As discussed in a previous blog, the Patient-Centered Outcomes Research Institute (PCORI) is an independent nonprofit research organization that funds comparative clinical research, among other things. PCORI is funded through annual fees — provided for in the Affordable Care Act — paid by insurers of fully insured health plans and sponsors of self-insured health…
Retail Industry: Mental Health, Other Benefits Trends
High-stress, demanding retail positions where constant customer demands are front and center can leave employees feeling overwhelmed and burnt out, resulting in lower productivity and higher turnover for employers.
Increasing societal awareness of mental health issues, and a general push by employees to recognize their lives outside of the workplace, has fueled a growing call…
What the End of the COVID-19 Pandemic Means for Employee Benefit Plan Deadlines and Coverage
President Biden announced that the COVID-19 Public Health Emergency (PHE) and the National Emergency declared by President Trump in 2020 will end on May 11, 2023. The PHE relief issued in response to the pandemic affected group health plan coverage requirements related to COVID-19 prevention and treatment. The National Emergency relief suspended deadlines that…
4th Quarter 2022 Quick Hits for Plan Sponsors and Administrators
As we enter the fourth quarter of 2022, sponsors and administrators of employee benefit plans have a lot to juggle. From open enrollment and required notices to plan document deadlines, it is a busy time of year. Yet, there always seems to be something new to add to the mix. This year is no different. …
It’s Almost the End of 2021. Do You Know Where Your Healthcare Dollars Go?
The CAA Transparency Rules Will Let Plans and Participants Know. The Department of Labor, Health and Human Services, and the IRS (collectively the Departments) recently released the Interim Final Rules with a request for Comment (IFC), Prescription Drug and Health Care Spending. These rules implement Section 204, Title II, another phase of the transparency provisions…
Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2021: Top Practical Considerations on FSA, Election Change Relief
The Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2021 (Act) provides certain COVID-19-related relief, including temporary additional flexibility regarding flexible spending accounts (FSAs). Employers have several practical considerations when deciding whether to adopt one or more of the changes in their plans.
Under the FSA changes, employees need not lose the benefit of the dollars they set aside…
Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2021: Employer-Sponsored Health and Welfare Plan Components
The Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2021, generally provides the annual funding for the federal government and, in almost 5,600 pages, contains several important rules giving further COVID-19 relief, including the expansion of eligibility for the Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) and the Employee Retention Tax Credit.
The Act also relaxes several health, welfare, and retirement plan rules…
Implications of COVID-19 on Your Health and Welfare Benefit Plans
Employers are grappling with employee benefit issues in response to the 2019 Novel Coronavirus (“COVID-19”). Efforts are being made to pave the way for widespread testing by eliminating cost barriers such as deductibles, copayments, coinsurance, or High Deductible Health Plan restrictions to ensure employees and their families are proactively being diagnosed once symptoms present, to…
The IRS Addresses Expenses Related to COVID-19
Like many other areas, employers are grappling with issues in response to the pandemic growth of the 2019 Novel Coronavirus (aka, “COVID-19”) in the workplace. One newer topic has been related to the desire to ensure employees and their families are proactively being diagnosed once symptoms present, to ensure proper care management for the employee…