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Health & Welfare Plans Newsletter
February 10, 2022
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11 New Job Opportunities
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[Official Guidance]
Text of Agency FAQs Regarding the Federal Independent Dispute Resolution Process (PDF)
11 pages; 47 Q&As covering [1] Independent Dispute Resolution (IDR) entity qualifications and the application process (16 Q&As); [2] Fees (10 Q&As); and [3] The Federal IDR process (21 Q&As). MORE >>
Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services [CMS], U.S. Department of Health and Human Services [HHS]
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[Guidance Overview]
California Governor Signs 2022 Supplemental Paid Sick Leave Bill
"[T]here is no direct tax or financial relief to employers for providing 2022 CPSL. Various provisions, however, are different. As a result, employers will not be able to simply restart policies and practices in 2022 they previously had in place to comply with the 2021 CPSL,
though it is important to note it may be possible to offset this new CPSL obligation with paid leave already provided in 2022." MORE >>
Littler
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[Guidance Overview]
California's New COVID-19 Supplemental Paid Sick Leave Law Awaits Governor's Signature
"The new SPSL law is different from the previous SPSL law in at least two important ways: [1] The employer may not apply SPSL to exclusion pay required by the California Division of Occupational Safety and Health's (Cal/OSHA) Emergency Temporary Standards (ETS)....
[2] An employee's pay stub must show the amount of SPSL that the employee has used. Under the previous SPSL law, the employer was required to show the amount of SPSL the employee had available." MORE >>
Ogletree Deakins
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[Guidance Overview]
Washington Delays Long-Term Care Payroll Tax
"Benefits under the WA Cares Fund will now be available starting July 1, 2026.... [Another new provision] makes the following individuals eligible to voluntarily opt out of the WA Cares Fund and avoid paying the payroll tax: [1] Veterans with a service-connected
disability of 70% or higher; [2] Spouses or domestic partners of active duty service members Persons residing outside of Washington while working in Washington; [3] Persons working in the U.S. under a temporary, nonimmigrant work visa." MORE >>
Willis Towers Watson
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[Guidance Overview]
New York to Regulate Pharmacy Benefit Managers
"Effective March 31, 2022, pharmacy benefit managers (PBMs) operating in New York must register with the state Insurance Department. Beginning in 2023, PBMs must obtain licenses and adhere to state regulations." MORE >>
Mercer
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[Guidance Overview]
Massachusetts Paid Family and Medical Leave: February 2022 Update
"The guidance includes scenarios that address the compliance implications for different claims based on the date filed (e.g., in 2021 or 2022), bonding leave that follows a medical leave for pregnancy or childbirth, and extensions. It also provides different scenarios addressing
how private and self-insured plans should calculate new benefit rates at the end of a benefit year." MORE >>
Ogletree Deakins
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[Guidance Overview]
COBRA for an Incapacitated or Deceased Qualified Beneficiary
"If the employee's death occurs during the 18-month COBRA maximum coverage period caused by a termination of employment or reduction of hours qualifying event, the surviving spouse and dependents who are COBRA qualified beneficiaries experience a second qualifying event....
The IRS has stated that upon the death of an employee participating in the health FSA, the employee's surviving spouse and children experience a COBRA qualifying event to continue coverage under the health FSA in the same manner as the employee could upon termination of employment." MORE >>
Newfront
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Assessment of Patient Preferences for Telehealth in Post-Pandemic Health Care
"[M]ost respondents were willing to use video visits in the future but, when presented with the choice between an in-person or a video visit for nonemergency care, most preferred in-person care. Willingness to pay for preferred visit modality was higher for those who preferred
in-person care, and those who preferred video visits were more sensitive to out-of-pocket cost." MORE >>
JAMA Health Forum
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Should Individuals Have a Choice Over Insurance Generosity?
"A [recent paper states] that optimal insurance levels are set when coverage sets the marginal benefit of risk protection equal
to the marginal cost of utilization induced by insurance (i.e., moral hazard). However, the key issue identified by [the authors] is that 'consumers with higher willingness to pay are not necessarily the consumers with a higher efficient coverage level.' " MORE >>
Healthcare Economist
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Evaluating a Self-Service Model for Voluntary Benefits
"[1] Understand the technology AND the industry ... [2] Easy implementation ... [3] Excellent employee communication ... [4] Accommodate all employees ... [5] Flawless data management ... [6] Understand the
costs." MORE >>
HR Daily Advisor
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Employee Benefits Jobs |
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Press Releases |
Micruity Raises $5.1M to Pensionize 401(k) Plans
Micruity
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Webcasts and Conferences (Health & Welfare Plans) |
Hot Topics in Employee Benefits and Executive Compensation: What's New in 2022?
RECORDED
Mintz
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Last Issue's Most Popular Items |
DOL's MHPAEA Report Provides a Roadmap for Health Plans and TPAs
MZQ Consulting, LLC
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New Agency Guidance Provides Flexibility for Coverage of Over-the-Counter COVID-19 Tests
Ogletree Deakins
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Can Mark Cuban Slash Drug Costs?
City Journal
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BenefitsLink Retirement Plans Newsletter, ISSN no. 1536-9587.
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