"Note that the ACA's out-of-pocket maximums for non-grandfathered medical plans are not the same as the [IRS] out-of-pocket maximums for HSA-compatible [HDHPs].... Employers with non-grandfathered HDHPs will want to consider both limits when designing their plans. IRS dollar values for HDHPs for 2025 are expected sometime in April or May of 2024."  MORE >>

"U.S. employers facing surging costs from paying for ... Wegovy and similar obesity drugs are hiring virtual healthcare providers ... to implement weight-loss management programs ... These programs may require diet and exercise before granting access to the medicines, and in some cases will become employees' sole covered option for medications like Wegovy and Eli Lilly's rival therapy Zepbound, which have list prices of more than $1,000 a month."  MORE >>

"Some patients with type 2 diabetes say they are having more difficulty getting reimbursed for drugs like Ozempic as U.S. insurers implement restrictions designed to deter doctors from prescribing the medication for weight loss. Novo Nordisk confirmed ... that it is seeing tighter health plan management of GLP-1 drugs including Ozempic and is working to minimize disruption for type 2 diabetes patients."  MORE >>

"Of the more than 800 bills proposed across all 50 states, Washington, D.C., and Puerto Rico, nearly 150 were enacted. The year's major legislative trends included pharmacy benefit manager reforms, lowering patient costs and increasing access, and curbing high drug prices."  MORE >>

"Nearly half (46.7 percent) of [responding] organizations report they automatically enroll eligible employees in an HSA, according to [a recent survey] ... That's up by more than 30 percent in just two years. Meanwhile, the number of employers using a default or suggested savings rate to encourage greater account funding has also increased (11 percent of respondents, up from 9 percent last year and 8 percent the year before)."  MORE >>

"[W]hile it's possible to contribute to an HSA after age 65, the specific rules around HSAs and Medicare introduce an additional layer of planning that's needed once an individual crosses the age-65 threshold."  MORE >>

"A city rule that requires employers to provide up to 40 hours of additional compensated time off for the sickness expires on New Year's Eve."  MORE >>

25 presentation slides. "The Pulse of the Purchaser study gauges concerns and approaches of employers to address the workforce environment; whole person health, equity, women's health, mental health and obesity management; fiduciary perspectives; pharmaceutical drugs; high-cost claims; and potential health reforms. Among the 2023 findings: As employer concerns about healthcare affordability are skyrocketing, less than half are confident in the integrity of services and fees charged by hospitals, pharmacy benefit managers, third-party administrators, and even brokers and consultants."  MORE >>

"[T]he proposed regulations ... miss an opportunity to improve on MHPAEA's progress ... Instead, the proposed regulations go far beyond current law and impose new, unworkable, and illogical standards on a process that was already in dire need of greater clarity."  MORE >>

Nov. 2023. "For Forms ... 1094-C, 1095, ... 1098, 1099, 3921, 3922 [and] 5498.... Do not use this form to request an extension to file information returns with the IRS (use Form 8809)."  MORE >>