"The distribution may have been paid directly to a medical service provider or to the account holder. A separate return must be filed for each plan type.... For reporting purposes, contributions and rollovers do not include transfers."  MORE >>

"[T]his change will likely preclude high deductible health plans (HDHPs) from qualifying as creditable coverage. As such, employers may need to take some additional action in 2025 to revamp reporting, notice distribution, and/or their communication strategy to ensure Part D eligible employees understand their penalty risk if enrolling in a HDHP (and any other plans with non-creditable coverage) for the 2025 plan year."  MORE >>

"Employers operating in Colorado and the District of Columbia must take into consideration their obligations under the mandatory paid leave system in each jurisdiction. The laws may be a trap for the unwary because they apply to many more companies than those covered by the federal FMLA."  MORE >>

"HB 1993: [1] will prohibit certain 'steering' practices, such as requiring a policyholder to purchase drugs exclusively through a mail order pharmacy or at a pharmacy owned or controlled by the PBM. ... [2] prohibits a pharmacy from charging a price that is more than the consumer would pay if they walked in off the street and paid in cash or that is more than the pharmacy would receive from the insurer or PBM.... [3] contains robust network adequacy requirements that require a PBM to establish a network that meets or exceeds federal Medicare access standards."  MORE >>

"Attorney General Charity Clark [has] filed a lawsuit against pharmacy benefit managers Evernorth (owner of Express Scripts) and CVS as well as nearly two dozen affiliated entities for unfairly and deceptively driving up prescription drug prices in Vermont.... [The] lawsuit alleges these companies violated Vermont's Consumer Protection Act by manipulating the marketplace and reducing access to certain prescription drugs, including lower-cost drugs, through a series of tactics with no transparency in their decision-making process." [Vermont v. Evernorth Health Inc. (Vt. Sup. Ct. Wash. Div. complaint filed Jul. 17, 2024)]  MORE >>

"A new wave of ERISA litigation against health plan sponsors is starting as relatively new health plan disclosure requirements have made a bevy of fee information available to enterprising plaintiffs and their counsel.... Plaintiffs may initially face roadblocks alleging ERISA violations, and as seen with defined-contribution retirement plans, we can expect the plaintiffs' bar to pivot until they find the 'formula' for surviving a motion to dismiss."  MORE >>

"The ruling, which fundamentally alters the judicial approach to interpreting ambiguous statutes, will significantly stress an already expensive, complicated, and time consuming health care system ... The immediate consequence of this ruling is likely to be a surge in legal challenges against regulations issued by health agencies such as [HHS and CMS]."  MORE >>

"Which to offer may depend on several factors, including what type of health plan the company has, how much the employer wants to contribute, if anything, what other benefits are available, and which offering might be most appealing to the company's employees."  MORE >>

"In this study, [the authors] estimate the effects of state paid sick leave mandates on parents' time spent providing childcare using time diaries from the 2004 -- 2022 American Time Use Survey. Findings ... suggest that post-mandate, parental time spent providing childcare increases by 4.9%. Effects are generally stronger among women and parents with younger children. Overall, [these] findings suggest that paid sick leave mandates allow parents to better balance work and family responsibilities."  MORE >>

"25% of small businesses have added benefits, but only 8% of employees said their employers have increased benefits,.... [1] Create a master list of all your benefits.... [2] Put a dollar figure on each piece of your retirement and benefits plan.... [3] Share info about your retirement and benefits plan on Day 1.... [4] Consistently communicate what your benefits are (and how much they're worth).... [5] Spotlight the value of different benefits for different generations.... [6] Communicate in lots of different ways."  MORE >>