Blog & Events

Making Better Health Care Decisions It’s important to be an active participant in your health care. This can start with feeling empowered to effectively communicate with your doctors so you can make a collaborative, informed choice about your health care. To be a better health care consumer, remember the acronym “PREPARED”: Procedure—What course of action…

Supreme Court will Review Federal Vaccine Mandates On Dec. 22, 2021, the U.S. Supreme Court announced that it will hear oral arguments regarding whether two federal vaccine requirements can be enforced while legal appeals are in process. On Jan. 7, 2022, the Court will consider requests on the Occupational Safety and Health Administration’s (OSHA) federal…

What Happens If You Miss Open Enrollment? If you miss your employer’s open enrollment deadline, you could lose coverage for you and your family and be unable to make benefits changes or enroll until the next deadline. One exception to this rule is if you experience a life-changing qualifying event that would trigger a special…

New Rule Requires Reporting of Medical and Prescription Drug Costs On Nov. 17, 2021, federal agencies released an interim final rule requiring health plans and issuers to report information regarding the cost of prescription drugs and certain medical expenses. This rule is a continuation of the Biden administration’s efforts to promote greater transparency in health…

FAQs Address COVID-19 Vaccine Coverage and Premium Discounts On Oct. 4, 2021, the Departments of Labor (DOL), Health and Human Services (HHS) and the Treasury issued FAQs addressing rules regarding premium incentives for COVID-19 vaccines and rapid coverage of preventive services for COVID-19. Premium Discounts for COVID-19 Vaccines The FAQs clarify that a group health…

Medicare Part D Notices Due Before Oct. 15, 2021 Each year, Medicare Part D requires group health plan sponsors to disclose whether the health plan’s prescription drug coverage is creditable to individuals eligible for Medicare Part D and to the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS). Plan sponsors must provide the annual disclosure notice…

New York state’s Department of Financial Services has released the paid familyleave employee contribution rate for 2022. In addition, the 2022 maximumbenefit amount is now available. 2022 Contribution and Benefit Rates New York paid family leave is funded entirely through employee contributions.The contribution rate beginning Jan. 1, 2022, has been set at the same level…

Agencies Issue No Surprises Act and Transparency Rule FAQs On Aug. 20, 2021, the Departments of Labor (DOL), Health and Human Services (HHS) and the Treasury (Departments) issued frequently asked questions (FAQs) regarding the implementation of the No Surprises Act and transparency provisions of the Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2021 (CAA). The FAQs provide that Departments…

Why Starting Open Enrollment Early In 2021 Is More Important Than Ever Reports suggest that employees who put off job searches during the pandemic are likely to resume them in earnest this fall, leading to a “turnover tsunami.” Employers should recognize that they have a significant opportunity to retain employees if they begin open enrollment…

The American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) provides COBRA premium assistance to eligible individuals and imposes notice requirements on health plans. One such requirement is that plans must notify eligible individuals about when their premium assistance ends, and whether they may be eligible for regular COBRA coverage or coverage under another group health plan. Background The…

PCORI Fees Due Aug. 2, 2021 The Affordable Care Act (ACA) requires health insurance issuers and self-insured plan sponsors to pay Patient-Centered Outcomes Research Institute fees (PCORI fees). The fees are reported and paid annually using IRS Form 720 (Quarterly Federal Excise Tax Return). Issuers and plan sponsors are generally required to pay the PCORI…

The New York State Department of Labor (NYDOL) has issued guidance clarifying that leave under the state’s paid sick leave law may be used by workers to recover from side effects of the COVID-19 vaccination. New York Leave Law The state’s paid sick leave law requires employers with five or more employees or a net…

On June 17, 2021, the U.S. Supreme Court rejected a lawsuit challenging the constitutionality of the Affordable Care Act’s (ACA) individual mandate in a 7-2 ruling. This lawsuit was filed in 2018 by 18 states as a result of the 2017 tax reform law that eliminates the individual mandate penalty. In 2012, the U.S. Supreme…

Supreme Court Rejects Challenge to Individual Mandate On June 17, 2021, the U.S. Supreme Court rejected a lawsuit challenging the constitutionality of the Affordable Care Act’s (ACA) individual mandate in a 7-2 ruling. This lawsuit was filed in 2018 by 18 states as a result of the 2017 tax reform law that eliminated the individual…

Health Reimbursement Arrangements Health reimbursement arrangements (HRAs) are plans designed to help employers and employees lower health care costs. Allowed under sections 105 and 106 of the Internal Revenue Code, HRAs enable employers to reimburse employees for out-of-pocket medical expenses not covered by insurance. HRAs are often combined with high-deductible health plan coverage. What are…

Voluntary Benefits As health care costs continue to rise, so has the demand for voluntary benefits. Since many employers find it increasingly difficult to provide employees with a complete benefit package, voluntary benefits have become an ideal solution. Voluntary benefits allow employers to offer benefits that are attractive to employees without added cost to the…

Sharing Health Information With Family and Friends The Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act of 1996 (HIPAA) is a federal law that sets rules for health care providers and health plans about who can look at and receive your health information, including those closest to you (e.g., your family members and friends). The HIPAA Privacy…

Temporary COVID-19 Relief for Section 125 Plans On Feb. 18, 2021, the IRS released Notice 2021-15 to clarify special rules for Section 125 plans, health flexible spending arrangements (FSAs) and dependent care assistance programs (DCAPs). Special Rules for Health FSAs and DCAPs The Notice is intended to clarify the application of special rules for health…

American Rescue Plan Act’s Employment-related Provisions President Joe Biden signed the American Rescue Plan Act of 2021 (ARPA) into law on March 11, 2021. The law generally provides financial relief for individuals, state and local governments, schools, businesses and for other purposes. In addition, the law contains the following measures of special interest to employers…

DOL Issues ARPA COBRA Subsidy Model Notices, FAQs On April 7, 2021, the Department of Labor (DOL) issued FAQs and model notices for the COBRA premium assistance provisions of the American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA). The ARPA provides a 100% subsidy for employer-sponsored group health coverage continued under COBRA and similar state continuation coverage programs…

HSA/HDHP Limits Increase for 2022 On May 10, 2021, the IRS released Revenue Procedure 2021-25 to provide the inflation-adjusted limits for health savings accounts (HSAs) and high deductible health plans (HDHPs) for 2022. The IRS is required to publish these limits by June 1 of each year. Eligible individuals with self-only HDHP coverage will be…

The American economy is finally recovering after more than a year of stagnation due to the COVID-19 pandemic. President Joe Biden’s administration wants to continue this momentum and further stimulate the economy. To help in that effort, President Biden recently signed an executive order aimed at increasing competition among businesses. According to the White House,…