"The Executive Order, through its directives, restricts GAC coverage under group health plans that receive federal financial assistance (which include medical plans that receive a CMS retiree drug subsidy or are structured as an Employer Group Waiver Plan)  ... [E]mployers should be advised that applicable HHS guidance on GAC coverage and treatment is subject to change. As ERISA does not preempt other federal laws or criminal laws ... even group health plans that are not subject to Section 1557 or do not receive federal financial assistance could be impacted by the downstream effects of the Executive Order."  MORE >>

"Employers can deduct their contributions as business expenses, while employees may deduct their contributions as state income taxes if they itemize deductions and otherwise do not exceed the SALT deduction cap. Amounts paid to employees as family leave benefits are included in the employee's gross income but are not wages for federal employment tax purposes.... The IRS has provided a transition period for enforcement and administration of these rules for calendar year 2025."  MORE >>

"[If] an employee's leave under a state or local paid family or medical leave program expires before the employee has exhausted the full FMLA leave entitlement, the employee is still entitled to the protections of the FMLA. Therefore, when the leave becomes unpaid leave for purposes of the state or local paid family or medical leave program, then the FMLA substitution provision would begin to apply and the employee would be able to elect, or the employer could require the employee, to substitute employer-provided accrued paid leave."  MORE >>

"Insurance Code sections 1369.551 through 1369.555 neither regulate benefits or beneficiaries nor add such acute costs as to prescribe plan choices.... [A] court would likely find that the 'connection with' analysis and result are similar. The provisions neither expressly require providers to structure benefit plans in particular ways nor provide any requirements concerning beneficiary status for ERISA plans or otherwise. Instead, subchapter L regulates certain referral and solicitation practices by issuers and PBMs concerning affiliated providers."  MORE >>

"If you offer similar benefits to FAMLI, determine whether you would like to make any changes to the policies to claim exemption from the new law, with enough time to submit your policies to the Maryland [DOL] for approval before the Family and Medical Leave Insurance Fund contributions goes into effect on July 1, 2025. If your company will be participating in FAMLI, be ready to implement the payroll contributions on July 1, 2025, and to give the required notice to your employees regarding their benefits, rights, and obligations."  MORE >>

"[T]op actions companies have already taken or are thinking about taking, include: [1] Establishing a benefits committee or more rigor to current benefits committee. [2] Partnering with subject matter experts in the pharmacy benefits space. [3] Performing a pharmacy PBM RFP in 2025 or upon renewal. [4] Moving to a more transparent PBM contract and arrangement."  MORE >>

"Two months after the killing of UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson sent shockwaves through the much-reviled U.S. health insurance industry, the company's parent, UnitedHealth Group, is making aggressive moves to protect its image."  MORE >>

"Organizations have opened themselves up to cyber threats and potential sanctions through the remote hiring process.... Members of Famous Chollima pretend to be offshore tech hires, falsifying resumes, generating profiles via Artificial Intelligence, and utilizing deception during hiring. Once hired, they use 'laptop farms' to disguise their location ... collecting a salary while harvesting sensitive data and learning critical details of corporate IT and security infrastructure for later sale or direct exploitation. CrowdStrike has uncovered Famous Chollima applying to or working at more than 150 organizations."  MORE >>

"Companies that scale successfully typically: [1] Create a clear global benefits philosophy that allows for local adaptation. [2] Partner with international benefits experts who understand both global and local perspectives. [3] Invest in robust global benefits technology platforms. [4] Benchmark against local market practices regularly. [5] Maintain flexibility to adapt to changing market conditions."  MORE >>