"The best place to begin is to look at the details of how the maximum monthly contribution threshold for the [federal poverty level (FPL)] affordability safe harbor are set. There are two variables that determine what the maximum monthly contribution threshold for [this] safe harbor will be each year. The first variable is the federal poverty line number. The second variable is the affordability threshold. Both of these numbers are adjusted year-to-year."  MORE >>

"HHS recently requested a hold on its appeal of a Texas federal court ruling vacating parts of the independent dispute resolution (IDR) process in the surprise billing interim final rule.... HHS filed an appeal, but later asked the court to hold its appeal pending federal agencies' release of the surprise billing final rule later this summer. The court granted HHS' request to pause proceedings while the government issues a final rule." [Texas Medical Assoc. v. HHS, No. 21-0425 (E.D. Tex. Feb. 23, 2022; on appeal to 5th Cir. No. 22-40264)]  MORE >>

"[R]etirees brought an ERISA lawsuit ... to block Alcoa's announced plan to change the way in which it provided collectively bargained retiree health benefits [namely, by replacing lifetime health benefits for certain retirees with a program of annual HRA contributions] .... Alcoa now contests the plaintiffs' bid for class certification, arguing that the retirees are not similarly situated because they worked at different facilities, were covered by different collective bargaining agreements, and had different levels of benefits. Plaintiffs contend that they, nonetheless, suffered the same injury." [Simpkins v. Alcoa USA Corp., No. 20-278 (S.D. Ind. complaint filed Dec. 10, 2020; response to motion for class certification filed Apr. 25, 2022)]  MORE >>

"This ruling ... may encourage employer/plan sponsors and insurers to take a closer look at their enrollment and premium payment systems to ensure that those systems do not result in the collection of premiums for benefits that do not exist. This would appear to require a system that more closely links premium payments to specific insureds than did the bulk-billing system described in this case." [Skelton v. Radisson Hotel Bloomington, No. 21-2641 (8th Cir. May 6, 2022)]  MORE >>

"Americans' mental health rating is at a 21-year low, primarily because fewer than 1 in 4 U.S. employees feel strongly that their organization cares about their well-being -- the lowest percentage in nearly a decade ... [This article describes] how two organizations addressed mental wellness and launched effective well-being initiatives over the past two years in the midst of the pandemic. In both cases, the companies' efforts had a significant positive impact on their organizational culture."  MORE >>

"29% of voters with employer-provided coverage have accessed and received mental/behavioral health services since the start of the pandemic. The vast majority who received care -- 88% -- were satisfied with the care they received, while 77% said it was easy to find a mental health professional that was covered by their health plan. Among parents with employer-provided coverage, 36% say their child has received mental/behavioral health services since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic."  MORE >>

"For years, many companies -- especially those with fat wallets -- have been engaged in a sort of arms race of office perks in order to compete for workers and keep them on board. Some of those perks and benefits are really meaningful ... Others fall more on the nice-to-have list, such as ... snacks. The pandemic has thrown some of the snack situation out of whack because more office workers have been doing their jobs from home. Now, companies are trying to lure people back to their desks with perks, including free food and snacks."  MORE >>

"Employee benefit plans are attractive targets for hackers because they possess a lot of sensitive information and may have access to money. They also use a variety of third-party service providers which may make them more susceptible to attacks.... This article will offer 12 steps you should take before and during a data breach to ensure the best possible outcome for your employees and benefit plan participants as well as the organization as a whole."  MORE >>

"Panelists at EBRI's Spring Policy Forum discussed how various demographic groups tend to reenter the labor force, how workers are supporting themselves if they choose not to return and various other factors impacting labor force participation in 2022."  MORE >>