"States enacted over 206 bills this year affecting health care costs, coverage and delivery in commercial markets. Here is a look at the issues addressed in those bills, including health care coverage and network adequacy, individual and small-group marketplaces, surprise billing, medical debt and more."  MORE >>

"The Annual Health Insurance Responsibility Disclosure (HIRD) form is due no later than December 15, 2023.... If you are an in-state or out-of-state employer who had six or more employees who were employed within the state of Massachusetts during the past 12 months, you are required to complete the HIRD form.... The HIRD form consists of questions related to each medical plan that you offer."  MORE >>

"[1] If we front load 40 PSL hours every January 1st, are we subject to any other accrual or carry-over requirements per year? ... [2] What rate of pay do we use to pay employees' PSL if their wages include commissions and a base hourly rate? ... [3] If we use the front load method, and an employee is rehired within the current year, do we have to reset and give the employee the full amount of leave for the current year? ... [4] Our employees have an alternative work schedule of four 10-hour days each week. Are they entitled to 40 or 50 hours of PSL per year?"  MORE >>

"In a case of first impression, a Florida district court dismissed claims by out-of-network air ambulance services providers to challenge an arbitrator's reimbursement decisions under the No Surprises Act's (NSA's) independent dispute resolution (IDR) process. Although the court allowed the providers to amend their complaints, it noted that the providers faced an 'uphill battle' in challenging the NSA/IDR payment determinations." [Med-Trans Corp. v. Capital Health Plan, Inc., No. 22-1153 (M.D. Fla. Nov. 1, 2023)]  MORE >>

"If an employer decides to create an HRA to reimburse infertility treatment expenses, the COBRA treatment is more complex.... For purposes of assessing the employer's COBRA obligation in connection with [long-term fertility preservation ], the key question is whether the reimbursement of such expenses constitutes the provision of 'health care.' ... In general, reimbursement of costs related to adoption or surrogacy shouldn't give rise to a program that provides medical benefits -- meaning neither program should be subject to COBRA."  MORE >>

"The private market lacked meaningful price transparency for patients and purchasers until the recent implementation of Hospital Price Transparency and Transparency in Coverage (TiC) rules. Lack of transparency limits the ability of regulators to monitor prices and of employers, patients, and purchasers to impose market discipline on prices. [The authors] examined TiC price data for common services from Humana, a large national insurer, and highlighted use cases of such novel data for future research."  MORE >>

"More employers are granting employees leave to look after ill friends with a 'familial affinity,' as a growing number of states are requiring them to do.... With more people relying on chosen rather than nuclear families, the number of [requests for such leave] is likely to rise."  MORE >>

"The Maryland [DOL's] FAMLI Division -- the State agency that implements and guides the statewide Family and Medical Leave Insurance (FAMLI) law -- is conducting a research study to better understand businesses' unique needs and the potential challenges the forthcoming paid leave system presents."  MORE >>

57 pages. "This report catalogues what long-term care insurers contribute in terms of: [1] Number of individuals covered; [2] Number of individuals who have received benefits from their coverage; [3] Dollar amount of benefits received; [4] Estimated length of time long-term care insurance coverage will pay for various forms of long-term services and supports."  MORE >>

"[T]he 220th open meeting of the [ERISA Advisory Council] will be held via a teleconference on December 11-12, 2023.... The purpose of the open meeting is for Advisory Council members to finalize their observations and recommendations on the issues they studied in 2023, present their observations and recommendations to the [DOL], and receive an update from leadership of [EBSA]. The issues studied by the ERISA Advisory Council in 2023 are: [1] Long-Term Disability Benefits and Mental Health Disparity, and [2] Recordkeeping in the Electronic Age. Descriptions of [these] topics are available on the ERISA Advisory Council's web page[.]"  MORE >>

"Whether it's a fully integrated HRIS platform or a robust standalone benefits administration technology platform, you want a solution that can help you fully execute upon your benefits strategy while increasing employee understanding and connection to their benefits."  MORE >>