by Ed Fensholt | September 20, 2012 | Grandfathered Provisions, Health Reform, Preventive Care
The battle over the Obama Administration’s directive that non-grandfathered (under federal health reform) health plans supply cost-free contraception benefits for female enrollees continues to heat up. Hobby Lobby Stores, Inc. filed suit last week in a federal court,...
by Mark Holloway | September 17, 2012 | Health Reform
Last year, Michigan followed the lead of several other states (e.g., New York, Massachusetts, and Vermont) and levied a one percent tax on the value of all claims paid by every insurance carrier and third party administrator for medical care rendered in Michigan to a...
by Mark Holloway | August 28, 2012 | Health Reform
The U.S. Court of Appeals for the Eleventh Circuit (Alabama, Florida, and Georgia) has upheld a lower court ruling that an employer wellness program, which imposed a $20 per paycheck surcharge on health insurance premiums for employees declining to submit to a health...
by Mark Holloway | August 20, 2012 | Health Reform, Preventive Care
On August 15, 2012, the Department of Health and Human Services issued new guidance on the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act’s (PPACA’s) requirement that non-grandfathered group health plans must offer contraceptive coverage without cost-sharing. The...
by Mark Holloway | July 24, 2012 | Compliance Services, GINA, HIPAA, Mental Health Parity, Non-Discrimination, Reporting & Disclosure, Reporting and Disclosure, Wellness
The DOL has posted on its website a 38-page self-compliance checklist that covers several of the major laws that apply to employer group health plans. The Self-Compliance Tool is located at http://www.dol.gov/ebsa/pdf/CAGAppA.pdf The checklist includes questions on...
by Mark Holloway | July 3, 2012 | Compliance Services, Health Reform, Preventive Care, Wellness
The U.S. Preventive Services Task Force has recommended health plans screen adults age 18 and older for obesity and offer “intensive, multicomponent behavioral interventions” for people with a body mass index (BMI) of 30 or greater. In 2005, the Task Force made a...
