Tag: Health Insurance

Health Plans Must Now Include Gag Clause Prohibition Compliance Attestation

No More Gags The Consolidated Appropriations Act (CAA) of 2021 prohibited “gag clauses” in contracts between insurance plans, insurance issuers, and providers. The law provides that a group health plan can’t enter into an agreement with a healthcare provider, network or association of providers, third-party administrator, or other service provider offering access to a network […]

What Benefits Matter More to Employees Than Salary?

During an economic downturn, job hunters usually search for the highest-paying position, but when deciding between offers with comparable pay, they might overlook salary and choose the role with the best benefits. The full range of benefits—health insurance, retirement plans, career advancement, and parental leave, among others—may be of the utmost importance. Do these perks […]

Employer-Provided Abortion, Travel Benefits: An Overview of Legal Considerations

In the wake of the United States Supreme Court’s decision in Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization, many companies have announced plans to assist employees in accessing abortion services, including providing travel assistance to employees located in states where abortion is now illegal. There are important legal considerations for employers to weigh when considering whether […]

SCOTUS Abortion Ruling Raises Complex Policy Problems for Employers

A number of high-profile companies are speaking out against the U.S. Supreme Court’s (SCOTUS) decision overruling Roe v. Wade, and they are backing up their criticism by vowing to help employees wishing to travel for legal abortions. But employers taking such action may face tricky legal issues.

Former Employees Can’t Sue Employers Under Utah’s Mini-COBRA Statute

In Greek mythology, Panacea was the goddess of universal remedy. She supposedly had a potion of herbs to cure almost any ailment. From the fabled goddess, the English language has adopted the word “panacea” to mean a cure-all or solution to all problems. Often, filing a lawsuit is seen as the way to get all […]

New Executive Order seeks to expand health insurance options

After several failed legislative attempts to repeal and replace the Affordable Care Act (ACA), President Donald Trump is now taking matters into his own hands. On October 12, Trump signed a new Executive Order (EO) designed to “expand choices and alternatives to Obamacare plans and increase competition to bring down costs for consumers,” according to […]

Trump administration expands exemptions to ACA contraceptive mandate

On October 6, the Trump administration released two interim final rules that will vastly expand the availability of exemptions to the Affordable Care Act’s (ACA) rules requiring employer coverage of contraceptives. The ACA requires employers and insurers that offer group health plans to employees to cover certain approved contraceptive methods—at no additional cost to employees—or […]

CBO: $194 billion deficit increase if key ACA subsidies end in 2017

by Jennifer Carson The Affordable Care Act (ACA) requires insurers to offer plans with reduced deductibles, copayments, and other means of cost-sharing to certain people, depending on their income, who purchase plans through the ACA marketplaces. In turn, insurers receive federal payments arranged by the Secretary of Health and Human Services to cover the costs […]

Senate releases highly anticipated healthcare bill

Update: On June 27, Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell announced that a vote on the Senate bill will be delayed until after the July 4th recess. Following the May passage in the House of the American Health Care Act (AHCA), the Senate has now released the text of its own draft ACA reform bill. Dubbed […]