"Pursuant to an order of the federal district court for the District of Maryland ... the implementation of certain provisions of the recently promulgated Marketplace Integrity and Affordability Final Rule ... has been stayed while the litigation remains pending. That Rule is currently scheduled to go into effect on August 25, 2025. As a result of the court's order, [certain] provisions will not go into effect on that date." [City of Columbus v. Kennedy, No. 25-2114 (D Md. Aug. 22, 2025)]  MORE >>

10 pages. "What's New: P.L. 119-21, July 4, 2025, amended Code section 223 to provide that: [1] An HSA eligible individual may have disregarded coverage (besides the HDHP) for telehealth and other remote care. [2] A plan will not fail to be treated as a HDHP by reason of failing to have a deductible for telehealth and other remote care services. The amendments apply to plan years beginning after 2024."  MORE >>

"The IRS National Office recently released a legal memorandum ... relating to pre-funding post-retirement medical benefits in a welfare benefit fund.... [T]he memorandum holds that funding an allowable post-retirement medical reserve may NOT take into account periods of coverage before an actual severance from employment.... The position in this legal memo is not particularly surprising given the language of the statute. But, it potentially reflects a more restrictive position than the IRS has previously followed in rulings describing allowable funding policies for Code section 401(h) post-retirement medical benefit funding."  MORE >>

"The One Big Beautiful Bill Act (OBBBA) has created significant opportunities for Direct Primary Care (DPC) arrangements. With a broad choice of vendors offering a variety of solutions, it can be challenging to determine if an arrangement meets the OBBBA requirements for DPCs. This article will discuss the DPC requirements and describe arrangements which may look similar on their face, but are not considered DPC under the Act."  MORE >>

"Dependent Care FSA limit increased for the first time in nearly 40 years ... Telehealth services no longer disqualify employees from HSA eligibility ... Direct Primary Care (DPC) Arrangements are now HSA-compatible ... ACA Bronze and Catastrophic plans will become HSA-eligible in 2026."  MORE >>

"Nebraska’s new Healthy Families & Workplaces Act requires most employers to provide paid sick leave to Nebraska employees starting October 1, 2025. Key requirements and action items are summarized [in this article]."  MORE >>

"The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services rolled out the changes last month, which include a shortened enrollment period, more stringent income verification checks, and a $5 fee for some people who automatically re-enroll in a free plan. Insurers will also be able to deny coverage to people who have not paid their premiums on past plans." [City of Columbus v. Kennedy, No. 25-2114 (D Md. Aug. 22, 2025)]  MORE >>

"[T]he California Supreme Court addressed when 'liquidated' or double damages may be avoided by an employer for minimum wage violations and how employees can pursue paid leave claims under California's Healthy Workplaces, Healthy Families Act (HWHFA), the statewide paid sick and safe time law." [Iloff v. LaPaille, No. S275848 (Calif. Aug. 21, 2025)]  MORE >>

"Flexible plan designs and modular ancillary offerings allow nonprofits to avoid costly penalties for early termination while securing essential coverage for their teams.... [E]ducating employees about existing plan resources -- leveraging wellness dollars for preventive screenings or tapping into employee assistance programs for financial counseling -- can unlock tangible value without straining organizational coffers."  MORE >>

"We are now in the fourth year of federal IDR operations.... To date, providers have brought far more disputes into IDR than anticipated and have won the vast majority. When providers win, they typically receive fees that are three to four times the typical in-network rate, as reflected by the qualifying payment amount (QPA).... In addition to trend updates, this article estimates total costs incurred by the IDR system since its initiation, and explains how IDR trends ... have led to billions in costs."  MORE >>

"his notice is to inform the public that effective September 30, 2025, the [DOL] will no longer accept paper checks as a form of payment ... This change is intended to improve efficiency in processing payments and reduce administrative burdens. DOL is committed to assisting the public during this transition period and encourages any affected parties to reach out with questions or concerns."  MORE >>