Feds reiterate ACA preventive care requirements, scold some plans…
Federal regulators recently called healthcare plan sponsors’ attention to new preventive care requirements, and indicated as well the regulators’ growing impatience with the failure by many plans to adequately comply with certain long-standing preventive care...
The Fifth Circuit vacates, in part, the nationwide stay of the CMS vaccine mandate leaving the majority of states subject to compliance
Just when employers began to breathe a sigh of relief, the vaccine mandate implemented by the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) is revived in 26 states. On Dec. 15, the Fifth Circuit concluded that the Louisiana district court which granted the...
New Jersey becomes first state to mandate employers pay severance following mass layoffs
Prompted by recent closures of big-name companies like Toys R Us, New Jersey is the first state to implement a severance pay requirement for employees experiencing mass layoffs.
DOL updates the model CHIP notice
The Department of Labor (DOL) has again updated the model Children’s Health Insurance Program (CHIP) notice employers are required to provide annually to employees residing in any state, listed in the notice, in which the employer maintains a group health plan.
The Department of Labor announces 2020 increased ERISA penalty amounts
The Department of Labor recently finalized regulations containing civil penalty inflation adjustments for 2020 in accordance with the Federal Civil Penalties Inflation Adjustment Act of 2015.
Near-term employer action items regarding paid leave laws
As employers are likely aware, state and local governments continue to adopt paid leave requirements on a fast and furious basis. Several important paid leave-related deadlines occur in December 2019 or become effective Jan. 1, 2020.
Cross-plan offsetting: What is it, and why do you need to know?
Cross-plan offsetting is a common practice among insurance carriers and third-party administrators (TPAs) that can put employers at risk.
Reminder: Medicare Part D notices due to Medicare-enrolled participants prior to Oct. 15
Under federal rules, health plan sponsors are required to notify their Medicare-enrolled participants and dependents on at least an annual basis concerning the “creditable” or “noncreditable” nature of the group health plan’s prescription drug coverage.
Federal health care policy and the risks in relying on Congressional Budget Office estimates
As we move closer to the next election year, Congress is considering several bills that would affect employee benefits plans. It will be interesting to see how many candidates tout the CBO’s rosy cost and coverage projections for healthcare policy aspects of their platforms.
California requires employers to give notice of certain FSA withdrawal deadlines
A new California law will require employers to notify their FSA enrollees – via two different modes of communication – about any deadline to withdraw funds from the FSA where that deadline is prior to the end of the plan year.
DOL updates mental health parity guidance – again
The DOL has issued new guidance to help plan administrators determine whether certain coverage guidelines applied to mental health and substance abuse treatment are permissible.
California expands domestic partner registration opportunity; San Francisco announces 2020 HCSO contribution rates
California recently expanded its definition of domestic partnership for purposes of registering with the state to receive the same state protections offered to spouses. San Francisco has updated Health Care Security Ordinance contribution rates and other limits for 2020.
Large employers ask for suspension of ACA employer mandate penalty assessments
Recently, the ERISA Industry Committee (ERIC), an association advocating on behalf of large employers that sponsor benefits plans, sent a letter to the IRS. ERIC’s letter urges the IRS to stop assessing ACA employer-mandate penalties until it can adopt a more reasonable and equitable process.
IRS decreases ACA employer mandate affordability threshold for 2020
The IRS has announced a nearly 0.1% decrease in the Affordable Care Act’s employer mandate affordability threshold for 2020.