"The Proposed Rule aims to realign the scope of Section 1557 -- which has been subject to several regulatory changes, interpretations and litigation throughout several presidential administrations -- with the underlying statutory and regulatory intent, after the 2020 Final Rule regarding Section 1557 was limited in its reach following challenges to the regulation in litigation."  MORE >>

"The new proposed regulations affirm the Biden administration's executive order protections against discrimination on the basis of sex -- including sexual orientation and gender identity."  MORE >>

"Many employers are considering implementing travel reimbursement options to assist employees who wish to seek abortions that might be restricted by the law in their home states.... In this post, [the authors] take a deeper dive into the MHPAEA requirements, its limited exceptions, how employers might be able to comply with those rules when making a travel benefit available, and provide a brief overview of how employers might prepare for an MHPAEA audit."  MORE >>

"This is the most substantial decrease in this percentage since these rules were implemented. It is the lowest that this percentage has ever been set -- at 0.38% below the statutory affordability percentage of 9.5%.... [M]any employers may have to lower their employee contributions to meet the adjusted percentage."  MORE >>

"In [FAQs Part 54], the Agencies repeat that health Flexible Spending Accounts (health FSAs), Health Reimbursement Arrangements (HRAs), and Health Savings Accounts (HSAs) may reimburse expenses incurred for OTC contraception without a prescription to the extent that the cost is not paid or reimbursed by another plan or coverage."  MORE >>

"[T]here are many different ethoses and philosophies in running a successful account management program. This paper ... discusses how PBM account teams can create relationship longevity -- including insight into the plan sponsor/PBM trust dynamic and PBM account team best practices that deliver high financial value and operational excellence, which will equate to a strong relationship over time."  MORE >>