Trimming Hours to Avoid Employer Mandate Can Land You in Hot Water
Ever since the Affordable Care Act was enacted, critics of the law have said that employers would cut staff or reduce workers' hours to avoid coming under the employer mandate requiring them to provide coverage for their staff. But employers that
How a New Law Affects Group Health Plans
The newly enacted Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2021 contains a number of provisions that will affect group health plans, with most changes aimed at helping insured workers with flexible spending accounts (FSAs), cost transparency and surprise billing. Some of the provisions are
Changes for 2021 Summary of Benefits and Coverage
There are new Summary of Benefits and Coverage notice requirements for health plans starting with the 2021 coverage year. The requirements, released by the Department of Labor, have new model templates, new instructions and new information that affects the coverage examples
Demand for Voluntary Group Benefits Grows During Pandemic
As the COVID-19 pandemic drags on and many Americans see unmet needs outside of their health insurance, more and more workers are increasingly signing up for the voluntary benefits their employers offer. While many workers in the past had skipped on
COVID-19 Relief Bill Extends Unemployment Benefits, PPP and More
The $900 billion COVID-19 relief bill, passed by Congress and signed into law on Dec. 27, includes a number of provisions that affect employers and their workers in terms of paid sick leave and Emergency Family and Medical Leave Act
Leveraging HSAs to Help Your Staff Manage Health Care Costs
With the COVID-19 pandemic weighing on employers and employees alike, businesses can help their staff by leveraging health savings accounts to pay for out-of-pocket expenses. Congress in 2020 untethered HSAs and flexible spending accounts by changing the rules that prohibited account
New Law Bans Surprise Billing
Part of the COVID-19 relief package that Congress passed in late December includes a notable provision that bans surprise medical bills when out-of-network doctors work on insureds at in-network hospitals. This so-called “balance billing” occurs when an out-of-network provider is involved
How COVID-19 Will Change Employee Benefits
The COVID-19 pandemic has impacted businesses and other organizations in multiple ways. Lost revenue and the overnight change to remote workforces, among other things, have caused significant changes to operations and finances. A new report shows that there will be
New Rules Require Health Plans to Cover COVID-19 Vaccines, More
The Trump administration has issued new interim final rules that set out accelerated coverage requirements for COVID-19 preventative services and covering out-of-network testing for the coronavirus. There are two parts to the interim final rules: One requires that COVID-19 preventative services
New Rule Requires Greater Health Plan Transparency
The Trump Administration has issued a new rule that will require greater price transparency on the part of health insurers, including the rates charged by in-network physicians and copays and costs of drugs. The final rule requires health plans and health