"OCR is providing a 90-calendar-day period to give covered entities and business associates relying on the telehealth services notification additional time to come into full compliance with the HIPAA rules. There is not a similar transition period for the other notifications. OCR will continue to exercise enforcement discretion for violations of the HIPAA rules which occurred during the PHE and are covered by the notifications."  MORE >>

"The Biden Administration recently announced that it will end the PHE on May 11, 2023 and FEMA has announced that the emergency incident period under the Stafford Act will also end on that date. Other related emergency declarations or provisions have already ended or are ending soon. [A] table provides a timeline identifying key health-related flexibilities and provisions specified by these various measures, the specific measure that determines their end date, and their end date."  MORE >>

"The date for covered employers -- those with fifteen or more employees -- to begin contributing to the program has been delayed from October 1, 2023, until October 1, 2024. SB 828 also delays implementation of the date when employees can submit claims for benefits from January 1, 2025, until January 1, 2026."  MORE >>

"Plaintiff contends that Reliance incorrectly interpreted the Plan's Lump Sum Payments provision -- specifically the phrase 'period of time,' and argues that, under the unambiguous terms of the Plan, the offset for other income received as a lump sum should be applied to the time period from his retirement until his death.... The Court found that Plaintiff's interpretation is contrary to the unambiguous language of the Plan." [Walker v. Reliance Standard Life Ins. Co., No. 22-109 (E.D. Tenn. Apr. 24, 2023)]  MORE >>

"The analysis ... found that patients appear to be protected from services that previously left them exposed to surprise billing, like air ambulance services. Additionally, ... the NSA is 'getting consumers 'out of the middle' of payment disputes between providers and payors. However, gaps remains in the law for other services like ground ambulance, which one state regulator noted can result in patients being billed nine out of 10 times"  MORE >>

"[The Pharmacy Benefit Manager Reform Act (S 1339)] would require PBMs to annually disclose: [1] The amounts paid directly or indirectly in rebates, fees, or any other type of compensation to brokers, consultants, and advisors who referred the employer plan to the PBM; and [2] The amount received, or expected to be received, by a PBM in rebates, fees, alternative discounts, or other remuneration paid by other entities in the pharmacy supply chain."  MORE >>

"One in three U.S. employees say their job has had a negative impact on their mental health over the past six months ... [N]early half of U.S. employees (45 percent) have higher expectations for the level of mental health support their organizations should provide, compared to last year."  MORE >>

"ERIC and the employer groups called on Congress to  ... [1] Require complete and unrestricted PBM transparency ... [2] Ban so-called 'spread pricing,' which allows a PBM to charge an employer or patient more than the PBM actually pays for a drug. [3] Require 100% pass-through of rebates, discounts, fees, and other payments from drug manufacturers ... [4] Apply fiduciary standards to PBMs[.]"  MORE >>