[Guidance Overview]

Maine Expands State FMLA to Allow Leave to Care for Serious Health Conditions of Grandchildren

"The law amends the Maine Family Medical Leave Act to allow an employee to take unpaid leave to care for a grandchild or a domestic partner's grandchild. Previously, the law limited leave to care for another individual's serious health condition to children, domestic partners' children, parents, domestic partners, siblings, or spouses."  MORE >>

Jackson Lewis P.C.

Fourth Circuit Revives Dummy-Code Lawsuit Against Aetna and Optum

"[The Fourth Circuit] reversed a ruling for Aetna Inc. and OptumHealth Care Solutions, reviving a potential class action alleging that they agreed to use a 'dummy code' to disguise unbillable administrative fees as billable medical treatment.... The [court] agreed that [the plaintiff] herself had not lost money ... However, she 'produced sufficient evidence to create a genuine issue of material fact' as to whether the arrangement violated Aetna's fiduciary duties to the plan and its participants, and whether Optum was an 'interested party' who engaged in a prohibited transaction[.]" [Peters v. Aetna, No. 19-2085 (4th Cir. Jun. 22, 2021)]  MORE >>

Reuters

Government-Paid Healthcare Is Overtaking Private Coverage

"The number of people covered through a company plan is very close to those covered by the government.... The government increasingly foots the bill, ... as policymakers have offered new programs for the millions who fall through the cracks of the traditional employer-based health care framework."  MORE >>

Motley Fool

Study Stokes Fresh Scrutiny of Wellness Program Value

"[P]rogram participation led to better self-reported health behaviors, with about an 11 percent higher share of participants reporting that they were actively managing their weight due to the program. Nevertheless, the program did not produce significant differences in clinical measures of health; health care spending or use; or absenteeism, tenure or job performance."  MORE >>

Society for Human Resource Management [SHRM]; membership may be required to view article

How Employers Can Drive HSA Adoption

"Your employees' wellbeing -- and your benefits return on investment -- will naturally improve as more individuals enroll in your HSA program.... [S]uccess requires smart engagement at three critical moments: [1] New employee onboarding; [2] During qualifying life events (QLEs); [3] Annual open enrollment period."  MORE >>

HealthEquity

Popular Voluntary Benefits Can Make an Impact

"94% [of employers surveyed] said that voluntary benefits would play an important role in their benefits offerings over the next three years.... Nearly 70 percent of employees surveyed said that voluntary benefits 'positively influence their desire to work for and stay with their employer,' and nearly 3 out of 4 wanted more voluntary benefits offerings."  MORE >>

Corporate Synergies

[Opinion]

Government-Run Health Care Is Bad for Business

"The Kaiser Family Foundation recently surveyed more than 300 companies with more than 5,000 employees -- and found that 83% believed that 'a greater government role in providing coverage and containing costs would be better for their business.' ... Paying for such programs would require significant corporate tax increases. Executives presumably realize as much, yet still think they'll come out ahead. But there are other costs they're not considering."  MORE >>

Washington Times

Using Mandatory Arbitration to Avoid ERISA Class Actions, Part 2: Recent Legal Decisions on Whether Plan Sponsors Can Compel Arbitration (PDF)

"[1] Who decides whether arbitration applies? ... [2] Can general employment agreement or handbook provisions cover ERISA claims? ... [3] Must there be considerations? ... [4] Who must consent to mandatory arbitration? ... [5] Can an arbitrator award plan-wide relief?"  MORE >>

Cohen & Buckmann P.C., via Bloomberg Law

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Holland & Knight Adds Executive Compensation Attorney Eric Rubin in Philadelphia

Holland & Knight

HealthComp Appoints Justin Tran to Senior Vice President of Medical Cost Management Services

HealthComp

Bank of America Launches Personal Retirement Strategy, a New Digital Investment Advisory Program

Bank of America

Principal® and Lockton Increase Businesses’ Access to Sophisticated Retirement Options as Clients Rapidly Join New Pooled Employer Plan

Principal Financial Group

Centivo Acquires Assets from Apostrophe, Inc.

Centivo

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Parting is Such Sweet Sorrow: Leaves of Absence and Benefits Compliance Considerations

July 21, 2021 WEBCAST

NFP Corp.

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Be Careful What You Contract For: HIPAA and Successor Liability

Archer

Tenth Circuit Makes Clear That Arms-Length Service Agreements Without Evidence of a Prior Relationship Are Not Prohibited Transactions

Jackson Lewis P.C.

Second PBM Reform Bill Becomes Law in Texas

National Center for Policy Analysis [NCPA]