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Health & Welfare Plans Newsletter
May 3, 2023
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New Job Opportunity Today
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[Guidance Overview]
CMS Releases 2024 Medicare Part D Benefit Parameters
"Plan sponsors that want to confirm their prescription drug coverage is creditable or want to remain qualified for the employer retiree drug subsidy will have to determine if their 2024 prescription drug coverage is at least actuarially equivalent to the standard Medicare Part D
coverage, which may require a closer look this year due to improvements in the Medicare Part D program brought about by the Inflation Reduction Act of 2022." MORE >>
Buck
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[Guidance Overview]
Preparing for the End of the COVID-19 Emergency: HDHPs and HSAs
"[I]ndividuals covered by an HDHP may continue to contribute to an HSA following the end of the PHE. COVID-19 vaccinations also continue to be considered preventive care under Section 223 of the Code for purposes of determining whether a health plan is an
HDHP." MORE >>
McDermott Will & Emery
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First Circuit Holds Blue Cross Was Not a Fiduciary When It Allegedly Overpaid, Repriced, and Mishandled Benefit Claims
"The court was unpersuaded by the arguments of the Fund and its amici (including the [DOL]) that finding Blue Cross to be a nonfiduciary would lead to anticompetitive practices that concededly could harm plans and their participants ... Thus, based on ERISA's far from
pellucid statutory definition of fiduciary, the First Circuit allowed Blue Cross to evade fiduciary responsibility to the tune of $1.4 million in plan losses caused by its ... medical claims pricing and payment practices." [Mass. Laborers' Health & Welfare Fund v. Blue
Cross Blue Shield of Mass., No. 22-1317 (1st Cir. Apr. 25, 2023)] MORE >>
Kantor & Kantor LLC
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ACA Preventive Services Ruling: Insights and Key Takeaways for Plan Sponsors
"Many employers and insurers are opting to wait out the appeals process before considering whether to make changes to their health plans' coverage of recommended preventive services, ... [T]he appellate court will be called upon to address a host of complex legal issues
and, when deciding those issues, will have the views of not only the parties in the case but also from an array of interested third parties who will file briefs attempting to influence the outcome of the appeal." [Braidwood Management, Inc. v. Becerra, No. 20-0283
(N.D. Tex. Mar. 30, 2023; notice of appeal filed Mar. 31, 2023)] MORE >>
BenefitsPro; free registration required
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New Data on No Surprises Act Arbitration Cases Show Providers Are Faring Well Amid Systemic Challenges
"Print Providers are having success at challenging out-of-network payment amounts under the No Surprises Act, at least when they can get their cases through the arbitration system.... [T]he arbitration criteria are meant to place providers and insurers on roughly equal footing in
dispute resolution, thus giving insurers motivation to include more providers in their networks. Over time, that should help reduce the flood of disputes in the IDR portal." MORE >>
Healthcare Financial Management Association [HFMA]; free registration required
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Your EAP May Be Subject to ERISA
"It is common for EAP providers to fail to recognize an EAP as an ERISA benefit plan.... Often, the service agreement with the EAP does not address claims, fiduciary status, and COBRA responsibilities." MORE >>
Haynes and Boone, LLP
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Third-Party Administration 101: Answering Employer Questions About TPAs
"Third-Party Administrators (TPAs) are important components of self-funded employer health plans.... [1] What is a third-party administrator? ... [2] What are the benefits of a third-party administrator?.... [3] How do you select a third-party
administrator?.... [4] Will transitioning to a health plan with a TPA be disruptive?" MORE >>
OneDigital
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Managing Mental Health with an FSA or HSA
"[1] Don't forgo clinical services.... [2] Take steps to manage anxiety.... [3] Improve sleep.... [4] Explore complementary approaches.... [5] Try pressure therapy." MORE >>
Health E-Commerce, via PRWeb
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Florida Lawmakers Approve Restrictions on Pharmacy Benefit Managers
"[The bill] includes: [1] Increasing the Office of Insurance Regulation's authority over PBMs ... [2] Largely preventing a practice known as 'spread pricing' ... [3] Placing restrictions on PBMs that have affiliated pharmacy businesses....
[4] Preventing PBMs from requiring patients to receive prescriptions by mail." MORE >>
wusf Public Media
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Benefits in General |
[Guidance Overview]
Reform of Family Attribution Rules Under SECURE 2.0
"[R]evised family attribution rules under [SECURE 2.0], effective for plan years after December 31, 2023, will permit businesses owned separately by spouses to provide benefits to their respective employees without necessarily having to count the employees of the other
spouse.... [F]amily-owned entities ... should understand how the Act may alter the employee populations counted for qualified retirement plans and also for identifying Applicable Large Employer status under the health insurance mandate of the [ACA]." MORE >>
KLB Benefits Law Group
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Employee Benefits Jobs |
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Press Releases |
RFP for Consulting Services to the California Retirement Savings Board
CalSavers
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Transamerica Names Oriana Freidenberg to Lead Customer Experience and Marketing for Life Insurance and Annuities
Transamerica
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Health-E Commerce Offers Tips for Using Tax-Free Healthcare Funds to Protect Mental Wellbeing
Health E-Commerce
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Strongpoint Partners Announces Partnership with Retirement Planners and Administrators
Strongpoint Partners
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Webcasts and Conferences (Health & Welfare Plans) |
New Drugs for Weight Loss: What Plan Sponsors Need to Know
May 24, 2023 WEBINAR
Segal
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Employee Benefits: Current and Future Trends
June 7, 2023 WEBINAR
Conference of Consulting Actuaries
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Last Issue's Most Popular Items |
Autism Health Plan Exclusions and Limitations May Trigger MHPAEA Liabilities
Solutions Law Press
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Healthcare Costs for a Healthy 65-Year-Old Retiree Who Retires in 2023
Milliman
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Fiduciary Litigation Update, May 2023
CAPTRUST
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Copyright 2023 BenefitsLink.com, Inc. All materials contained in this newsletter are protected by United States copyright law and may not be reproduced, distributed, transmitted, displayed, published or broadcast without the prior written permission of BenefitsLink.com, Inc., or in the case of third party materials, the owner of those materials. You may not alter or remove any trademark, copyright or other notices from copies of the content.
BenefitsLink® Retirement Plans Newsletter, ISSN no. 1536-9587.
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