The Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) announced Monday it now interprets—and will enforce—Section 1557 of the Affordable Care Act (ACA) to prohibit discrimination based on sexual orientation and gender identity, effective immediately. Section 1557 generally prohibits discrimination based on race, color, national origin, sex, age, and disability in any health program or activity
HHS
Health Plan Sponsors – Have You Updated Your Vendor Agreements for Substance Use Disorder (SUD) Confidentiality Regulations?
Employers that sponsor group health plans (medical, dental, vision, HFSA) are used to negotiating detailed administrative services agreements with vendors that provide services to those plans. Many also are familiar with “business associate agreements” required under HIPAA that must be in place with certain vendors, such as third-party claims administrators (TPAs), wellness program vendors, benefits…
January 1st is Quickly Approaching – Have you Reviewed your Health Plan for Section 1557 Compliance?
Earlier this year the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (“HHS”) finalized regulations that implement Section 1557 of the Affordable Care Act (“Section 1557”). You can read our prior discussions of these regulations in our blog post and newsletter article. As the new year approaches, we wanted to take a moment to remind…
2014 Transitional Reinsurance Fee Reporting Deadline Extended to December 5, 2014
The Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) has announced that the 2014 deadline for reporting the number of participants covered under a health plan for purposes of paying the 2014 Transitional Reinsurance Fee has been extended from November 15, 2014 to December 5, 2014. Insurers and sponsors of self-insured plans who have not already…
Eleventh Circuit Decides Health Care Reform Individual Mandate Is Unconstitutional
The individual mandate provision of the 2010 health care reform law is unconstitutional, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Eleventh Circuit decided in Florida v. HHS on August 12th. The Sixth Circuit previously held in Thomas More Law Center v. Obama that the individual mandate is constitutional. Therefore, the Eleventh Circuit decision creates a…