"[E]mployers are required to provide eligible non-exempt employees who have or are suspected of having dengue fever the five-day special paid leave due to emergencies declared by the Government of Puerto Rico ... [To] be eligible for the special paid leave, covered employees who are sick -- or suspected of being sick -- as a result of an illness that triggers a state of emergency ... must first use any other available paid leave, including accrued sick leave."  MORE >>

"While the new guidance provides some clarity on when employees with COVID and other respiratory viruses can return to work, employers will continue to grapple with ... COVID-related issues ... [such as] managing employees' requests for time off when experiencing active symptoms of a respiratory virus ... Employers must also be aware of other federal and state-specific guidance related to COVID-19.... In New York State, the COVID-19 Sick Leave Law that went into effect in 2020, [has yet] to be rolled back or modified."  MORE >>

"[T]he court refused to dismiss the players' benefit claims for failure to exhaust administrative remedies [concluding] that plaintiffs' argument that it would be futile to do so could not be resolved at this stage given the 'robust backdrop of alleged malfeasance and nonfeasance' spelled out in the complaint. This backdrop included an alleged 'systematic pattern that the more the Defendants compensate their hired physicians, the higher the likelihood that those physicians will render flawed, inadequate, result-oriented opinions adverse to benefits applicants,' as well as a practice of providing 'inaccurate, misleading, and deceptive information about the Plan to Plaintiffs and absent Class members.' " [Alford v. The NFL Player Disability & Survivor Benefit Plan, No. 23-0358 (D. Md. Mar. 20, 2024)]  MORE >>

"Although the OCR stated it is not prioritizing investigations of health care providers, health plans or business associates that were impacted by this cyberattack, the OCR did remind entities that have partnered with Change Healthcare and UHG of their regulatory obligations and responsibilities, including ensuring that up-to-date business associate agreements are in effect, and that timely breach notifications to HHS and the affected individuals are provided."  MORE >>

"[T]he median IDR decision is at least 3.7 times what Medicare would pay. For the two categories of services where we have estimates of historical mean in-network commercial prices relative to Medicare, the median decision is at least 50% higher than these past prices. Decisions appear closer to the amounts insurers historically paid for out-of-network care. These outcomes reflect the fact that providers are submitting relatively high offers and that IDR entities are selecting the provider's offer more than three-quarters of the time."  MORE >>

"Under current law, subject to a few limited exceptions, employers generally may not offer 'stand-alone' HRAs -- i.e., HRAs that are not integrated with major medical coverage -- to current employees. One exception to this rule, which may be an attractive option for some small employers, is a qualified small employer HRA (QSEHRA)."  MORE >>

"Employers should be rethinking how wellness incentives can drive health outcomes rather than simple participation. Creating this bond require a skillful translation of health behavior theory to application and a defined wellness strategy."  MORE >>

"Health Reform was not designed to reduce the cost of employer-sponsored coverage for employers or employees. Surveys confirm that 160+ million Americans with employer-sponsored coverage saw their average premium increase 50+% over the past 12 years despite a tripling in the percentage of plans with deductibles in excess of $2,000."  MORE >>