Health and Welfare Plans Archives - Page 50 of 128

What’s Next After the Affordable Care Act?

by Gary Scott Davis | Aug 30, 2018 | Employee Benefits, Health and Welfare Plans

When passed in 2010, the Affordable Care Act (ACA), often called “Obamacare,” had three basic goals: increase access to health insurance, reduce costs and spending, and offer patients stability with respect to their insurance coverage. By offering a subsidy for low- and middle-income Americans to purchase private insurance plans, the ACA was successful in expanding coverage for about 14 million previously uninsured individuals, including those with pre-existing medical conditions.

Gary Scott Davis authored this bylined article about the future of the ACA. “We need to learn from both the strengths and weaknesses of the ACA to build a long-term sustainable approach that promotes access to care, brings insurance coverage within the reach of the many, contains costs, and aligns economic incentives among payors, providers and patients, while improving the nation’s overall level of health,” he wrote.

Access the full article.

Universal Health Bill Faces Steep Obstacles in New York

by Andrew Liazos | Aug 7, 2018 | Employee Benefits, Health and Welfare Plans

While momentum may be building for a single-payer health care system in New York, such a dramatic shift in the way health care is financed will have to overcome a number of significant obstacles. With ERISA preemption being one of those hurdles, Andrew Liazos comments, “There will be a challenge from somewhere. I don’t know who will lead the challenge, but I don’t think employer groups will just sit by idly.”

Access the full article.

Originally published in Bloomberg Law, August 2018.

ERISA Preempts State Regulation of PBM–Pharmacy Pricing Agreements

by McDermott Will & Emery and Sarah P. Hogarth | Jul 31, 2018 | Benefit Controversies, Employee Benefits, Health and Welfare Plans

ERISA broadly preempts state laws that “relate to” ERISA-governed employee benefit plans to ensure a uniform federal regulatory scheme and to relieve ERISA plans from the burdens of satisfying a patchwork of state laws. Recently, however, several states have enacted legislation designed to regulate the prices that pharmacy benefit managers, as third-party administrators for ERISA-governed plans, agree to reimburse pharmacies for dispensing prescription drugs to ERISA plan members. These regulations run afoul of ERISA, as the US Court of Appeals for the Eighth Circuit has twice held.

Access the full article.

Podcast | Telemedicine – The New Standard of Care

by Dale C. Van Demark and Lisa Schmitz Mazur | Jul 5, 2018 | Employee Benefits, Health and Welfare Plans, Privacy and Data Security

In the newest episode of the Of Digital Interest podcast, McDermott Digital Health partners, Lisa Schmitz Mazur and Dale Van Demark, share their perspectives on these questions and the various barriers, risks and opportunities associated with the rise of telemedicine and other technological advancements in health care delivery.

Access this episode at www.mwe.com/mcdermottdigitalhealth or subscribe to the podcast on iTunes, Pocket Casts or SoundCloud.

All Together Now: DOL Finalizes Rule for Association Health Plans

by Jacob Mattinson and Megan Mardy | Jun 26, 2018 | Employee Benefits, Health and Welfare Plans

The US Department of Labor published a final rule that makes it easier for a group or association of employers to act as a single “employer” sponsor of an Association Health Plan under ERISA. By creating an opportunity for small employers and self-employed individuals to take advantage of the economies of scale that are usually enjoyed by large employers, the final rule is intended to expand access to affordable health care.

Access the full article.

IRS Releases FAQs on Paid Family and Medical Leave Credit

by David Fuller and Samantha Souza | Jun 14, 2018 | Employee Benefits, Employment, Health and Welfare Plans

The IRS released guidance in April on the new credit for paid family and medical leave. In FAQ form, this guidance helps employers gauge whether their current policies are sufficient, or whether implementation of conforming paid leave policies may be necessary.

Access the full article.

Fridays with Benefits Webinar | Mental Health Parity and Compliance Complexities

by Jacob Mattinson | May 24, 2018 | Employee Benefits, Health and Welfare Plans

New proposed guidance on mental health parity issued last month spotlights the complexities of these rules. Join us for out next Fridays with Benefits webinar on June 1 as Jacob M. Mattinson and Judith Wethall discuss the impact these rules will have on group health plans and how to determine if your plan complies. Find out about recent litigation and agency enforcement actions.

Friday, June 1st, 2018
10:00 – 10:45 am PDT
11:00 – 11:45 am MDT
12:00 – 12:45 pm CDT
1:00 – 1:45 pm EDT

Register now.

IRS Announces Limits for Health Savings Accounts and High-Deductible Health Plans for 2019

by Jacob Mattinson, Megan Mardy and McDermott Will & Emery | May 17, 2018 | Employee Benefits, Employment, Fiduciary and Investment Issues, Health and Welfare Plans

On May 10, 2018, the IRS announced cost-of-living adjustments to the applicable dollar limits for health savings accounts and high-deductible health plans for 2019. Many of the limits will change for 2019.

Access the full article.

Navigating the Challenges of Cross-Border M&A Transactions

by Anthony A. Bongiorno and McDermott Will & Emery | May 8, 2018 | Employee Benefits, Employee Stock Ownership Plans (ESOPs), Employment, Executive Compensation, Health and Welfare Plans, Retirement Plans

Last month, Alexander Lee and Maureen O’Brien joined with Rob Wellner from Velocity Global to discuss the tax and employee benefits complications that arise in cross-border transactions. Key points discussed:

Complex tax structures must be considered and understood
Transfers of employment may be governed by different statutes in each affected jurisdiction
Purchasers may not be ready to provide employment, payroll and benefits on the closing date without significant pre-closing work

View full presentation.

IRS Announces HSA Contribution Limit Increase for 2018

by Jacob Mattinson, Megan Mardy and McDermott Will & Emery | May 1, 2018 | Employee Benefits, Health and Welfare Plans

On April 26, 2018, the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) increased the 2018 maximum deductible Health Savings Account (HSA) contribution for taxpayers with family coverage under a High Deductible Health Plan (HDHP) to $6,900.

The $6,900 contribution limit for 2018 was originally published in Revenue Procedure 2017-37, but was reduced earlier this year by $50 to $6,850 in Revenue Procedure 2018-18 due to changes in the inflation indexing measure under the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act. The IRS later increased the limit back to the originally announced amount of $6,900. This relief is published in Revenue Procedure 2018-27 and appears to be the result of pushback from employers, many of whom would face significant administrative costs due to implementing the mid-year change, and governing law requiring the annual HSA limits to be published by no later than June 1 of the preceding calendar year.

Under the guidance, an individual who received a distribution from an HSA in 2018 of an excess contribution based on the previous $50 reduction may repay the distribution to the HSA by April 15, 2019. The repaid amount would not be included in the individual’s gross income or subject to additional taxation. Alternatively, such individual may take no action and treat the $50 HSA distribution as an excess contribution that was timely returned and thus not subject to income inclusion or additional taxation.

Employers who previously lowered their plan’s contribution limit for HSAs to $6,850 should consider how to address the increased limit and whether any changes or employee communications are necessary.

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