On Jan. 15, 2020, the Department of Labor (DOL) released its 2020 inflation-adjusted civil monetary penalties that may be assessed on employers for violations of a wide range of federal laws, including: The Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA); The Employee Retirement Income Security Act (ERISA); The Family and Medical Leave Act (FMLA); and The Occupational […]
Coronaviruses are fairly common and don’t typically affect humans. When they do, their effects are usually mild, as in the case of the common cold. However, deadlier variations of these coronaviruses have cropped up in recent years. Two examples of these evolved strains are the SARS virus of 2003 and the novel coronavirus, which was […]
A federal spending bill enacted at the end of 2019 included several provisions affecting benefit plans. The bill repealed three major taxes and fees under the Affordable Care Act (ACA)—the Cadillac tax, the medical devices excise tax and the health insurance providers fee. The law also extended the PCORI fees for an additional 10 years. […]
OVERVIEW On Dec. 18, 2019, a federal appeals court ruled in Texas v. Azar that the Affordable Care Act’s (ACA) individual mandate is unconstitutional due to the elimination of the individual mandate penalty in 2019. The appeals court remanded the case to the lower court to determine whether the rest of the ACA can remain […]
OVERVIEW California has enacted two laws that require certain employers in the hospitality and transit industries to provide employee training on how to recognize and report human trafficking. The new laws, known as SB 970 and AB 2034, went into effect on Jan. 1, 2019, but give subject employers until Jan. 1, 2020 or 2021 […]
Many employee benefits are subject to annual dollar limits that are periodically updated for inflation by the IRS. The following commonly offered employee benefits are subject to these limits: High deductible health plans (HDHPs) and health savings accounts (HSAs); Health flexible spending accounts (FSAs); 401(k) plans; and Transportation fringe benefit plans. This Compliance Overview includes […]
OVERVIEW On Nov. 15, 2019, the Departments of Labor (DOL), Health and Human Services (HHS) and the Treasury (Departments) issued a proposed rule regarding transparency in coverage that would impose new transparency requirements on group health plans and health insurers in the individual and group markets. Specifically, the proposed rule would require plans and issuers […]
On Friday, Nov. 15, 2019, the Trump administration released its final rule regarding hospital price transparency. This final rule will take effect Jan. 1, 2021, a year later than originally proposed. The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) had been listening to feedback on a proposed version of the rule for the past four […]
OSHA recently launched a new webpage encouraging safer workplaces through the use of leading indicators. Leading indicators are proactive and preventive measures that can shed light on the effectiveness of safety and health activities, and reveal potential problems in a safety and health program. One example of a leading indicator may be the amount of […]
Cannabidiol (CBD oil) has become a popular subject in the media. You may have even noticed it steadily finding its way onto the shelves of health stores and coffee shops, or at stores that specialize in or exclusively sell it. While you may have heard many stories on the varying uses and effectiveness of CBD […]