"This [5-page chart] is a reference tool that lists whether various types of coverage are considered MEC and whether eligibility for that coverage makes an individual ineligible for premium tax credits (PTC) in the marketplace."  MORE >>

15 pages. "The expiring provisions included in this report are any identified provisions related to Medicare, Medicaid, the State Children's Health Insurance Program (CHIP), or private health insurance programs and activities. The report also includes any identified expired or expiring provisions among other health care-related provisions enacted or extended in the [ACA] ... In addition, the report describes health care-related provisions within the same scope that expired during the first session of the 117th Congress (i.e., during CY2021)." [R47303 Nov. 15, 2022]  MORE >>

"Under certain 'limited circumstances' the court can consider evidence outside the administrative record. Here, the court declined to consider additional extrinsic evidence offered by Mr. Cameron related to the time period in and after September 2020, explaining that records related to this later time period were not relevant to determining whether his benefits entitlement ended in January 2020." [Cameron v. Sun Life Assurance Company of Canada, No. 21-2092 (C.D. Cal. Nov. 2, 2022)]  MORE >>

"As the district court acknowledged, other courts have reached the opposite conclusion on the central question in this case -- and held that Section 1557 does extend to claims of gender identity based on the statute's plain language. For health plans, as a result, this could mean that litigation challenging plan exclusions for transgender care may have different outcomes depending on the jurisdiction in which the litigation is brought." [Neese v. Becerra, No. 21-0163 (N.D. Tex. Nov. 11, 2022)]  MORE >>

"The Section 125 cafeteria plan rules allow employers to permit election changes all the way through the last moment before the start of the new plan year. However, because of the ERISA plan precedent concerns and administrative challenges, employers should at a minimum consider imposing a hard outer deadline sufficiently in advance of the start of the plan year to process elections."  MORE >>

"Using the average hourly earnings of residents of each state from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, researchers were able to calculate the number of hours of work required to pay off the bill for an average hospital stay. Oregon was the least affordable state, requiring residents to work 646 hours to pay for the average hospital stay. It was followed by Utah (600 hours), New Mexico (581 hours), Ohio (581 hours), and California (572 hours)."  MORE >>

"Today, 77 percent of all employees in the private sector get paid time off for short-term illnesses and preventive medical care. That's a modest four points higher than in 2019 ... Just 55 percent of workers with earnings in the bottom 25 percent of all workers receive paid sick time ... Even their coverage has increased -- from 47 percent prior to the pandemic -- but they're still trailing far behind everyone else."  MORE >>

"LGBTQ workers were less likely than non-LGBTQ workers to be satisfied with their employee benefits overall and with paid leave.... LGBTQ workers were less likely than non-LGBTQ workers to be satisfied with the mix of retirement contributions and wages and more likely than non-LGBTQ workers to prefer higher wages and lower retirement contributions. In contrast, LGBTQ workers were more likely than non-LGBTQ workers to prefer higher mental health benefits and lower wages, whereas non-LGBTQ workers were more likely than LGBTQ workers to prefer fewer mental health benefits and lower wages."  MORE >>