In January 2025, The ERISA Industry Committee (ERIC) filed a complaint against the US Departments of Labor, Health and Human Services, and the Treasury (the departments) seeking to invalidate the 2024 final regulations under...more
5/22/2025
/ Benefit Plan Sponsors ,
Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) ,
Department of Justice (DOJ) ,
Department of Labor (DOL) ,
Employee Benefits ,
Enforcement Actions ,
Final Rules ,
Health Insurance ,
Healthcare ,
Healthcare Reform ,
Mental Health Parity Rule ,
MHPAEA ,
Regulatory Reform ,
Trump Administration
The Internal Revenue Service (IRS) recently announced (see Revenue Procedure 2025-19) cost-of-living adjustments to the applicable dollar limits for health savings accounts (HSAs), high-deductible health plans (HDHPs), and...more
5/5/2025
/ Employee Benefits ,
Employee Contributions ,
Employer Contributions ,
HDHP ,
Health and Welfare Plans ,
Health Insurance ,
Health Savings Accounts ,
HRA ,
Insurance Industry ,
IRS ,
New Regulations ,
Regulatory Requirements ,
Revenue Procedures ,
Taxation
The topic of “food as medicine” has gained increased attention recently, driven by a growing recognition of the role nutrition plays in preventing and managing chronic diseases. This article provides a high-level overview of...more
Originally published in February 2025, this updated report provides new material on physician practice management (PPM) arrangements, reference-based pricing arrangements, minimum essential coverage (MEC) and MEC+ plans, and...more
4/23/2025
/ Employee Benefits ,
Employee Retirement Income Security Act (ERISA) ,
Employer Group Health Plans ,
Employer Liability Issues ,
Health Insurance ,
Healthcare Reform ,
ICHRA ,
Insurance Industry ,
Minimum Essential Coverage ,
Regulatory Agenda ,
Small Business
Small employers seeking to offer robust major medical coverage to employees and their dependents face daunting price and transparency hurdles. Employers with 50 or fewer full-time equivalent employees, so-called “small...more
While a physician practice management (PPM) structure allows for compliance with corporate practice of medicine laws and ease of administration, it often creates inadvertent health plan issues that should be navigated...more
2/24/2025
/ Compliance ,
Corporate Governance ,
Employee Benefits ,
Health Insurance ,
Healthcare ,
Healthcare Reform ,
Insurance Industry ,
Medicare ,
Physicians ,
Reporting Requirements ,
Risk Management
Small employers seeking to offer robust major medical coverage to employees and their dependents face daunting price and transparency hurdles. Employers with 50 or fewer full-time equivalent employees, so-called “small...more
2/17/2025
/ Affordable Care Act ,
Association Health Plans ,
Employee Benefits ,
Employer Group Health Plans ,
Employer Liability Issues ,
Health Insurance ,
Healthcare ,
Insurance Industry ,
Risk Management ,
Self-Insured Health Plans ,
Small Employers
Beginning in the first quarter of 2025, California healthcare service plans, health insurers, Medi-Cal managed care plans, and PACE organizations must ensure that staff who have direct enrollee contact receive evidence-based...more
1/20/2025
/ California ,
Health Care Providers ,
Health Insurance ,
Healthcare ,
Legislative Agendas ,
Medicaid ,
New Legislation ,
PACE ,
Regulatory Requirements ,
Training ,
Transgender
Under the Affordable Care Act’s (ACA) employer shared responsibility provisions, applicable large employers (ALEs) must either offer minimum essential coverage that is “affordable” and that provides “minimum value” to their...more
In regard to reproductive rights, how would a Harris-Walz administration affect clients in your practice?
Bottom line: A Harris-Walz administration would seek to restore the protections of Roe v. Wade, thereby providing...more
10/22/2024
/ Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization ,
Donald Trump ,
Employee Benefits ,
Employee Retirement Income Security Act (ERISA) ,
Employer Liability Issues ,
Healthcare ,
Kamala Harris ,
Political Campaigns ,
Political Candidates ,
Presidential Elections ,
Proposed Legislation ,
Proposed Regulation ,
Reproductive Healthcare Issues ,
Roe v Wade
On the issue of gender-affirming care, how would a Harris-Walz administration affect clients in your practice?
Bottom line: A Harris-Walz administration would likely provide health plans and health plan sponsors with...more
10/22/2024
/ Affordable Care Act ,
Donald Trump ,
Employee Benefits ,
Employer Group Health Plans ,
Employer Liability Issues ,
Employment Policies ,
Gender Equity ,
Health Insurance ,
Healthcare ,
Kamala Harris ,
LGBTQ ,
Political Campaigns ,
Political Candidates ,
Presidential Elections ,
Proposed Legislation ,
Proposed Regulation ,
Sex Discrimination ,
Telemedicine
The US Departments of the Treasury, Labor, and Health and Human Services (the Departments) recently issued much-anticipated final regulations under the Mental Health Parity and Addiction Equity Act (MHPAEA). The newly issued...more
9/18/2024
/ Benefit Plan Sponsors ,
Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) ,
Department of Labor (DOL) ,
Employee Benefits ,
Employer Group Health Plans ,
Health and Welfare Plans ,
Health Insurance ,
Mental Health ,
Mental Health Parity Rule ,
MHPAEA ,
NQTLs ,
Popular ,
U.S. Treasury
Recent lawsuits filed against the group health plans of two large US employers underscore the importance of implementing formal welfare benefit plan governance structures that include fiduciary committees comparable to the...more
The Internal Revenue Service (IRS) recently announced (see Revenue Procedure 2024-25) cost-of-living adjustments to the applicable dollar limits for health savings accounts (HSAs), high-deductible health plans (HDHPs) and...more
5/10/2024
/ Benefit Plan Sponsors ,
Deductibles ,
Employee Benefits ,
Employer Group Health Plans ,
HDHP ,
Health Insurance ,
Health Plan Sponsors ,
Health Savings Accounts ,
HRA ,
HSA ,
IRS
On April 26, 2024, the US Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) issued a final rule (press release, fact sheet, FAQs) (final regulations) reinterpreting Section 1557 of the Affordable Care Act (ACA), which prohibits...more
5/9/2024
/ Affordable Care Act ,
Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) ,
Disability Discrimination ,
Final Rules ,
Gender Discrimination ,
Gender Identity ,
Health Care Providers ,
Health Insurance ,
Healthcare ,
Medicare Part B ,
New Regulations ,
Non-Discrimination Rules ,
Race Discrimination ,
Section 1557 ,
Sexual Orientation Discrimination
Federal legislative and regulatory activity related to employer-sponsored group health plans shows no signs of slowing, particularly with the issuance of interpretive guidance regarding the transparency and surprise-billing...more
2/26/2024
/ Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization ,
Employee Benefits ,
Employer Group Health Plans ,
Employer Liability Issues ,
Health Insurance ,
Healthcare ,
Insurance Industry ,
Legislative Agendas ,
Regulatory Agenda ,
SCOTUS ,
Self-Funded Health Plans
Employers and plan sponsors are facing growing – and often conflicting – pressures related to the coverage of gender-affirming care. Join McDermott lawyers Sarah G. Raaii and Alden J. Bianchi for a webinar to review recent...more
2/16/2024
/ Affordable Care Act ,
Best Practices ,
Continuing Legal Education ,
Denial of Insurance Coverage ,
Employee Retirement Income Security Act (ERISA) ,
Employer Group Health Plans ,
Health Insurance ,
Health Plan Sponsors ,
Insurance Claims ,
Insurance Industry ,
Minors ,
Standard Setting Organizations ,
State Bans ,
Transgender ,
Webinars
Recently proposed regulations attempt to ensure that health plans allow access to mental health or substance use disorder (MH/SUD) benefits as easily as medical or surgical (M/S) benefits. The proposed regulations, issued by...more
8/17/2023
/ Benefit Plan Sponsors ,
Employee Benefits ,
Employer Liability Issues ,
Enforcement ,
Health Care Providers ,
Health Insurance ,
Healthcare ,
Mental Health ,
Mental Health Parity Rule ,
MHPAEA ,
NQTLs ,
Safe Harbors
The US Departments of the Treasury, Labor, and Health and Human Services (the Departments) recently issued much-anticipated proposed regulations under the Mental Health Parity and Addiction Equity Act (MHPAEA) to better...more
8/4/2023
/ Benefit Plan Sponsors ,
Biden Administration ,
Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) ,
Department of Labor (DOL) ,
Employee Benefits ,
Employer Group Health Plans ,
Employer Liability Issues ,
Mental Health ,
Mental Health Parity Rule ,
MHPAEA ,
NQTLs ,
Proposed Regulation ,
U.S. Treasury
In light of recent Internal Revenue Service (IRS) guidance, employers should carefully examine any supplemental health plan, program or arrangement (which may or may not claim to leverage fixed indemnity insurance) that...more
In a recently issued Chief Counsel Advice memorandum, the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) reminded sponsors of health and dependent care flexible spending arrangements (FSAs) of their obligation to properly substantiate claims...more
Recently, the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) announced (See Revenue Procedure 2023-23) cost-of-living adjustments to the applicable dollar limits for health savings accounts (HSAs), high-deductible health plans (HDHPs) and...more
The Biden administration previously announced its intent to end the COVID-19 National Emergency (NE) and the COVID-19 Public Health Emergency (PHE) on May 11, 2023 (read our series introduction for more information). On April...more
5/17/2023
/ Benefit Plan Sponsors ,
Biden Administration ,
COBRA ,
Coronavirus/COVID-19 ,
Deadlines ,
Deductibles ,
Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) ,
Department of Labor (DOL) ,
EBSA ,
Employee Benefits ,
Employer Liability Issues ,
Health Insurance ,
Public Health Emergency ,
U.S. Treasury
The Biden administration originally announced its intent to end the COVID-19 National Emergency (NE) and the COVID-19 Public Health Emergency (PHE) on May 11, 2023 (read our prior article for more information). Although the...more
5/2/2023
/ Biden Administration ,
Coronavirus/COVID-19 ,
Deductibles ,
Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) ,
Department of Labor (DOL) ,
Employee Benefits ,
Employer Liability Issues ,
Health Insurance ,
HSA ,
Public Health Emergency ,
U.S. Treasury ,
Vaccinations
In response to Braidwood Mgmt. Inc. v. Becerra, a recent case striking down part of the Affordable Care Act (ACA) preventive services mandate, the US Departments of Labor, Health and Human Services, and the Treasury...more
4/18/2023
/ Affordable Care Act ,
Appeals ,
Contraceptive Coverage Mandate ,
Cost-Sharing ,
Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) ,
Department of Labor (DOL) ,
Employer Group Health Plans ,
Health Insurance ,
Motion To Stay ,
Preventive Health Care ,
Religious Exemption ,
U.S. Treasury