"[1] What is an educational assistance program? ... [2] What are educational assistance benefits? ... [3] What is the total amount that an employee can exclude from gross income under section 127 of the Code per year? ... [4] What is a qualified education loan? ... [5] How can payments of qualified education loans be made? ... [6] Are employer payments of qualified education loans for spouses and dependents excluded from gross income under section 127 of the Code? ... [7] Can student debt be reimbursed under a section 127 educational assistance program? ... [8] Can self-employed individuals, shareholders and owners receive educational assistance under a section 127 educational assistance program? ... [9] Are there other exclusions from gross income for educational assistance?"  MORE >>

"[In] order to contribute to an HSA, an individual must be enrolled in a HDHP plan that meets the minimum deductible requirements.... HSA contribution limits apply based on a calendar year even for non-calendar year plans.... [P]lan marketing materials should also be reviewed and updated for these new amounts....[E]mployers with collectively bargained plans should check to see that their Cost-Benefit Analyses are accurate."  MORE >>

"[H]ealth plans, health care clearinghouses, and their business associates should consider taking the following actions: [1] Review and update their Notice of Privacy Practices ... [2] Review and update as needed all HIPAA business associate agreements ... [3] Review and update policies and procedures ... such as the description of permitted disclosures, HIPAA definitions, and the implementation of the attestation requirement. [4] Identify where reproductive health care PHI can be found in invoicing and other administrative records to avoid inadvertent disclosure."  MORE >>

"[Information Letter 2024-004] reiterated that contributions to a qualified transportation fringe benefits plan may not be reimbursed, even if the employee could not commute because of COVID restrictions.... [U]nlike flexible spending accounts, when an employee elects to reduce her compensation for a month by an amount that exceeds the qualified transportation fringe expenses actually incurred in that month, the employer may apply this excess towards qualified transportation fringe expenses incurred in future months."  MORE >>

"[1] Covered employee works remotely ... [2] 90-day waiting period ... [3] Covered employee is ineligible for health coverage ... [4] Covered employee declines health coverage ... [5] Covered employer contributions to covered employee's health coverage are insufficient to satisfy health care expenditure requirements."  MORE >>

"Bristol could provide a compelling preemption defense -- at least in the Ninth Circuit -- to ERISA plans against conflicting state-imposed liabilities that run contrary to established plan procedures, and in support of processes (such as fee forgiving exclusions, preauthorization, and benefits verification) critical to plan administration." [Bristol SL Holdings, Inc. v. Cigna Health & Life Ins. Co., No. 23-55019 (9th Cir. May 31, 2024, affirming summary judgment); Bristol SL Holdings, Inc. v. Cigna Health & Life Ins. Co., No. 23-55019 (9th Cir. May 31, 2024, affirming denial of motion for reconsideration)]  MORE >>

"A continued fight between medical providers and insurance companies over how to enforce arbitration awards in surprise billing disputes is splitting the courts and bringing greater uncertainty to an already complicated and fraught process."  MORE >>

"[T]hree primary levers plan sponsors may use to impact cancer patients and their navigation of the health care system, while also helping plans manage costs: [1] Catch cancer early for better outcomes. [2] Help participants reach the proper care right away, as the first month after diagnosis is crucial. [3] Manage prescription drug usage, since drug costs are increasing and can be more expensive depending on delivery location."  MORE >>

"In 2023, 40 percent of U.S. organizations offered these benefits, showing a 10 percent increase since 2020.... Employees have made it clear they expect their employers to support them on their fertility and parenthood journeys, with a staggering 90 percent of those facing infertility saying they would switch jobs for better fertility coverage[.]"  MORE >>

32 pages. "Increasingly, a diverse, multigenerational workforce demands personalized options, easy-to-use digital experiences and whole-person benefits across health and financial wellness.... With so many systems and vendors to manage and benefits to consider, HR teams are burdened with complexity. Aside from creating a need to leverage technology and vendor partnerships to simplify benefits administration and optimize benefits spend, this reality makes it more important than ever for benefits leaders to provide employees with streamlined benefits experiences that can help guide them to their next best action."  MORE >>

"State health policy officials want to harness emerging artificial intelligence technology to translate a broad swath of documents and websites related to 'health and social services information, programs, benefits and services,' according to state records.... Agency officials said they hope to save money and make critical health care forms, applications, websites, and other information available to more people in what they call the nation's most linguistically diverse state."  MORE >>

"A newly introduced bill follows finalized regulations that are set to make substantial changes to the process, and it strives to address cost concerns that kept similar legislation from passing two years ago."  MORE >>