"[P]ayment of PCORI fees and agency reporting to the [IRS] is due annually by July 31.... [A] Form 5500 submission is due ... for each qualifying plan (and/or the employer's wrap plan) on or before the last day of the 7th month following the end of the applicable reporting year.... Employer plan sponsors of health and welfare plan offerings which provide, as a covered benefit, prescription drug coverage, must annually submit a Prescription Drug Pricing Transparency Report to [CMS] (submission of the report for the 2024 plan year is due no later than June 2, 2025)."  MORE >>

"[W]hile mini-COBRA laws apply to companies with fewer than 20 employees, each state has its own method of counting qualified employees. A business in California may tip into the federal COBRA category if it has 20 or more employees on 50% of the working days in the previous calendar year. It is therefore crucial for employers close to the 20-employee threshold to review their state guidelines."  MORE >>

"While health plan participants have generally been unsuccessful so far, lawyers representing them are likely fine-tuning their arguments based on rulings like this one. Plan fiduciaries will be better able to defend against these claims if they can show that they reviewed available market options, compared fees and costs, and negotiated favorable terms with service providers and networks." [Navarro v. Wells Fargo & Co., No. 24-3043 (D. Minn. Mar. 24, 2025)]  MORE >>

"The lawsuit, originally filed last year under the Biden administration, was considered a major challenge to the PBM industry after the agency accused the drug middlemen of inflating the price of insulin and driving up costs to diabetes patients. Driving the news: The FTC issued the stay in the case against CVS Caremark, OptumRx and Express Scripts in response to a motion 'citing the fact that there are currently no sitting Commissioners able to participate in this matter.' "  MORE >>

"In a healthy workplace benefits ecosystem, healthcare, pharmaceuticals, retirement planning, financial wellness, and behavioral health -- along with their respective technologies -- must work together in a cohesive manner. This integration creates a holistic system that genuinely serves your employees' diverse needs."  MORE >>

"Employer action items: [1] Accurate record-keeping. ... [2] Review imputed income requirements. ... [3] Non-discrimination testing.  ... [4] Promote regular beneficiary reviews. ... [5] Communication with employees.  ... [6] Handling claims."  MORE >>

14 pages. "By year-end, HSA assets reached nearly $147 billion across over 39 million accounts, reflecting a year-over-year increase of 19% for assets and 5% for accounts.... During 2024, HSA investment assets increased by 38%, reaching $64 billion by the end of the year.... Account holders contributed almost $56 billion to their accounts in 2024 (up 11% from the previous year) and withdrew $42 billion during the same period (up 10% from the prior year)."  MORE >>

"As health care expenses continue to rise, the Committee is looking at solutions to bring down costs for working families. In [the April 2] subcommittee hearing, Committee Members and witnesses discussed the challenges that small business are facing as they seek to offer high-quality and low-cost health care."  MORE >>

"Full-time employees are more likely to receive coverage from their employer, and part-time employees more often rely on dependent coverage or Medicaid, or purchase a plan at an insurance exchange. Although more full-time employees have coverage than part-time employees, [researchers] found the gap between the two groups to be much smaller after the implementation of the ACA. They argue that the expansion of Medicaid contributed the most to this shrinkage, but the creation of the insurance exchanges did so as well."  MORE >>

"P4ESC urges your attention to the following principles that are important to ensure that employment-based coverage thrives into the future: [1] Uphold the current tax treatment of employer-sponsored coverage; [2] Preserve ERISA preemption -- the vital backbone of employer-sponsored coverage; [3] Address rising medical costs and market dysfunctions to help keep care and coverage more affordable."  MORE >>

"The court agreed with McKee Foods that [ERISA] preempts key provisions of Tennessee's law requiring that employers include 'any willing pharmacy' in the networks maintained by the pharmacy benefit plans employers sponsor.... [T]he court easily concluded that Tennessee's law interferes with employers' ability to design and administer plans that reflect the needs of their workforce." [McKee Foods Corporation v. BFP Inc., No. 21-0279 (E.D. Tenn. Mar. 31, 2025)]  MORE >>

"The employee benefits world is evolving rapidly, with new priorities emerging for both employers and employees.... While innovative benefits can attract and retain talent, compliance remains the cornerstone of any successful employee benefit plan.... [E]mployee ownership will play a pivotal role in reshaping the American workplace."  MORE >>

"[T]his year may be the most pivotal since 2020’s COVID-19 relief guidance. Affecting the way plan sponsors need to think about their plan design, administration, and compliance are a new presidential administration, and plenty of executive orders (some with retirement and welfare plan implications), new agency guidance on retirement and welfare plan compliance, as well as benefits-related tax issues, and increased litigation activity. Adding to the mix are more state and local benefits-related regulation[.]"  MORE >>