After Congress declined to extend certain relief allowing first-dollar coverage of telehealth services by high-deductible health plans (HDHPs), health plan sponsors may need to make immediate changes to preserve employees’...more
During the COVID-19 crisis, newly-created relief allowed first dollar coverage for telehealth services under a high deductible health plan (HDHP) without ruining health savings account (HSA) eligibility. That relief was...more
We hope you enjoyed the holidays and are settling back in refreshed and recharged for 2025. With a new year comes new rules; please find our thoughts on some of them below....more
On December 21, 2024, President Biden signed into law the American Relief Act, 2025 (2025 Relief Act), which funds the federal government through March 14, 2025, and provides certain disaster relief provisions and other...more
Employers providing health plan coverage through a high-deductible health plan (HDHP) may need to amend their HDHP before year-end to remove first-dollar telehealth coverage. Although prior regulatory relief permitted...more
The Biden administration has 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). In response to the...more
High deductible health plan (“HDHP”) sponsors take note: the Continuing Appropriations Act, 2023 (“CAA23”) temporarily extends the flexibility for HDHPs to provide pre-deductible coverage of telehealth services without...more
Earlier this week, President Biden announced his intent to end both the COVID-19 National Emergency and the COVID-19 Public Health Emergency (PHE) on May 11, 2023. Once these emergencies end, group health plans will shed some...more
The Consolidated Appropriations Act of 2023 (2023 CAA) further extends the HSA safe harbor allowing high deductible health plans (HDHPs) to offer first dollar coverage of telehealth services without ruining HDHP members’...more
Last week the Senate passed the Continuing Appropriations Act, 2023 (“CAA23”). The House of Representatives will likely consider the measure today, and President Biden is expected to sign the bipartisan measure into law...more
The April Monthly Minute addresses the newly extended HSA/telehealth rule and IRS proposed rules that reconsider family PTC eligibility and affordability. Last month, the Consolidated Appropriations Act of 2022 was passed...more
The Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2022, signed into law on March 15, 2022, extended relief first made available at the start of the pandemic which allowed first dollar coverage for telehealth services under a high...more
The Consolidated Appropriations Act 2022 (“CAA 2022”), signed by President Biden on March 15, 2022, reinstated temporary relief for high deductible health plans (“HDHPs”) to provide pre-deductible coverage of telehealth...more
On March 15, 2022, the Consolidated Appropriations Act of 2022 (“2022 CAA”) was signed into law. Among other things, the 2022 CAA temporarily restores the telehealth relief provided under the CARES Act. The CARES Act...more
Effective April 1, 2022, high-deductible health plans can once again offer first-dollar coverage for telehealth and other remote services without making participants ineligible for health savings account (“HSA”)...more
The Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2022 (the Act), was passed by the U.S. House and Senate on March 9th and 10th, 2022, and signed into law by the President on March 15, 2022. The Act extends certain telehealth...more
On March 27, the President signed the Coronavirus Aid, Relief and Economic Security Act (“CARES Act” or “Act”), which contains a number of tax- and employee benefit-related provisions that are intended to provide economic...more
Health and welfare benefit plans and insurers are affected by various provisions of the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security Act (CARES Act) passed on March 27, 2020....more
On March 27, 2020, the President signed the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security Act (CARES Act), which addresses the public economic and health crisis related to the 2019 novel coronavirus (COVID-19)....more
The Sheppard Mullin Healthcare Law Blog has included many blog articles over the last weeks and months regarding telehealth. As our most recent blog articles show, telehealth is playing an important role in the COVID-19...more