Boston, MA, August 17, 2023 – The Wagner Law Group, widely recognized as the country’s top ERISA and employee benefits law firm, is delighted to announce that 11 of its attorneys will be recognized...
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Roberta Casper Watson
Departments Consider Potential Safe Harbor for Nonquantitative Treatment Limitations under the Mental Health Parity and Addiction Equity Act Regarding Network Adequacy
By Dannae Delano, Roberta Casper Watson and Barry Salkin On July 25, the Departments of Treasury, Labor, and Health and Human Services (the “Departments”) issued proposed regulations and other...
CMS Recommends Extension of Special Enrollment for Individuals Losing Medicaid and CHIP
By Roberta Watson, Dannae Delano and Barry Salkin Employers frequently provide group health plan coverage for their employees through pre-tax contributions to a cafeteria plan. Elections under a...
Departments Issue Guidance on No Surprises Act and Limitations on Cost Sharing Under the Affordable Care Act
By Dannae Delano, Roberta Watson and Barry Salkin In FAQ Part 60, the Departments of Health and Human Service, Treasury, and Labor (the “Departments”) addressed limitations on cost sharing under the...
DOL Advises Plan Sponsors to Extend Enrollment Period for Employees Losing Medicaid
DOL Advises Plan Sponsors to Extend Enrollment Period for Employees Losing Medicaid - Roberta Casper Watson, PLANSPONSOR, July 24, 2023 (PDF)
Departments Propose Regulations on Short-Term Limited Duration Insurance and Indemnity Insurance Excepted Benefits
By Dannae Delano, Roberta Casper Watson and Barry Salkin On July 7, the Departments of Health and Human Services, Labor, and Treasury (the “Departments”) issued proposed regulations modifying the...
FAQ Clarifies Status of In-Network Providers, Facility Fees
FAQ Clarifies Status of In-Network Providers, Facility Fees - Roberta Casper Watson, PLANSPONSOR, July 10, 2023 (PDF)
DOL Proposes Limiting Short-Term ‘Junk’ Health Plans
DOL Proposes Limiting Short-Term ‘Junk’ Health Plans - Roberta Watson, PLANSPONSOR, July 7, 2023 (PDF)
EBSA Publishes Regulatory Update on Health Facility Fees, Provider Networks
EBSA Publishes Regulatory Update on Health Facility Fees, Provider Networks - Roberta Casper Watson, planadviser, July 7, 2023 (PDF)
Massachusetts Division of Insurance Provides Special Enrollment Period for Loss of COBRA Coverage
By Dannae Delano, Barry Salkin and Roberta Casper Watson As we have previously described in client alerts, the end of the National Emergency and the cessation of the outbreak period on July 10,...
Agencies Issue Guidance Regarding Effect of the End of the COVID-19 Public Health Emergency (PHE) and National Emergency (NE) on Benefits
By Barry Salkin, Dannae Delano and Roberta Casper Watson On January 31, 2020, the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) declared that a nationwide public health emergency (PHE) had existed...
Departments Issue Guidance Requiring First Annual “Gag” Attestation by December 31, 2023
By Dannae Delano, Roberta Casper Watson and Barry Salkin The Consolidated Appropriations Act of 2021 (“CAA”) is the most significant compliance challenge for employer health plan sponsors since the...
Practitioner’s Panel – 2023 Joint TE/GE Council Hybrid Annual Meeting
Practitioner’s Panel - Roberta Watson, 2023 Joint TE/GE Council Employee Plans Annual Meeting, Washington, D.C., February 23 - 24, 2023
District Court Once Again Invalidates No Surprises Act Regulations
By Roberta Casper Watson, Dannae Delano and Barry Salkin The No Surprises Act directs the Departments of Treasury, Labor, and Health and Human Services (the “Departments”) to establish a Federal...
Congress Enacts Respect for Marriage Act
By, Barry Salkin, Roberta Watson and Jon Schultze n the ordinary course, we would not be advising clients that a statute that a Supreme Court held unconstitutional nine years ago was being removed...
First Circuit Illustrates the Importance of the Fiduciary Responsibilities of Health and Welfare Plan Sponsors and Severance Providers Under ERISA
First Circuit Illustrates the Importance of the Fiduciary Responsibilities of Health and Welfare Plan Sponsors and Severance Providers Under ERISA - Dannae Delano, Barry Salkin and Roberta Casper...
Mental Health Parity Rules and Requirements for Plan Sponsors and Administrators
Mental Health Parity Rules and Requirements for Plan Sponsors and Administrators - Roberta Casper Watson, panelist, Strafford live CLE webinar, January 4, 2023, 1:00 - 2:30 PM (EST) - Click here for...
IRS Announces Expansion of Change in Status Rules for Cafeteria Plans
One of the basic rules under which cafeteria plans operate is that elections are irrevocable except in certain limited circumstances. Further, even when those limited circumstances apply, the change...
Agencies Request for Comments on Issues Related to New Disclosures Under the No Surprises Act Indicate the Importance of Informing Marginalized Populations and Maintaining Privacy of Advance Health Care Information
By Roberta Casper Watson, Dannae Delano and Barry Salkin It should come as no surprise that most Americans do not have the information available to them that is necessary to make informed decisions...
No Surprises in Agencies’ Reproposal of Independent Dispute Resolution Regulations on No Surprise Act Billing Arbitration
By Danae Delano, Roberta Watson and Barry Salkin Last November, we published a law alert regarding the first two rounds of regulatory guidance on the No Surprise Billing portion of the Consolidated...
Labor Opinions are Fair Game for Litigation After Circuit Ruling
Labor Opinions Are Fair Game for Litigation After Circuit Ruling - Roberta Watson, Bloomberg Law, August 19, 2022 (PDF)
Nine Attorneys from The Wagner Law Group to be Recognized in 2023 Edition of The Best Lawyers in America©
Boston, MA, August 18, 2022 – The Wagner Law Group, widely recognized as the country’s top ERISA and employee benefits law firm, is delighted to announce that nine of its attorneys will be...
HHS Again Proposes Nondiscrimination Regulations under Section 1557 of the Affordable Care Act
By Dannae Delano, Roberta Casper Watson and Barry Salkin Section 1557 of the Affordable Care Act (“ACA”) prohibits discrimination on the basis of race, color, national origin, sex, age or disability...
WEBINAR: Fiduciary Compliance in ESOP Transactions: Recent DOL Settlement Agreements and Best Practices for Counsel
Fiduciary Compliance in ESOP Transactions: Recent DOL Settlement Agreements and Best Practices for Counsel - Roberta Casper Watson, Strafford live CLE webnar, August 4, 2022, 1:00 - 2:30 M (EDT) -...
WEBINAR: Overturning Roe v. Wade: Impact on Employee Benefit Plans and Next Steps for Plan Sponsors and Administrators
Overturning Roe v. Wade: Impact on Employee Benefit Plans and Next Steps for Plan Sponsors and Administrators - Roberta Casper Watson, panelist, Strafford webinar, September 7, 2022, 1:00 - 2:30 PM...
Employer Responses to Overturning of Roe v. Wade
Employer Responses to Overturning of Roe v. Wade - Roberta Casper Watson and Dannae Delano, LexisNexis Practical Guidance, July 11, 2022
UBS, Edward Jones And Others Keep Mum About Covering Abortion Travel Costs
UBS, Edward Jones And Others Keep Mum About Covering Abortion Travel Costs - Roberta Watson, ADVISORHUB, July 7, 2022 (PDF)
Mandated Benefits: 2022 Compliance Guide Mid-Year Update
Mandated Benefits: 2022 Compliance Guide Mid-Year Update – Katherine Brustowicz, Dannae Delano, David Gabor, Virginia Peabody, Barry Salkin, Marcia Wagner and Roberta Casper Watson, Wolters Kluwer,...
Employers Providing Abortion Benefits Should Address Compliance Questions
Employers Providing Abortion Benefits Should Address Compliance Questions - Roberta Watson, SHRM, June 29, 2022 (PDF)
Employer Responses to Overturning of Roe v. Wade
Many employers are considering how to respond to the recent ruling overturning Roe v. Wade, which has given states the leeway to outlaw abortion. Employers may have employees who are on either side...
Companies Urged to Review Abortion Coverage With Roe in Balance
Companies Urged to Review Abortion Coverage With Roe in Balance - Roberta Watson, Bloomberg, News, June 8, 2022 (PDF)
Employers Cautioned as Suits Over COBRA Coverage Notices Add Up
Employers Cautioned as Suits Over COBRA Coverage Notices Add Up – Roberta Watson, Bloomberg News, April 29, 2022 (PDF)
Longstanding IRS Administrative Practice Invalidated
When agencies take controversial regulatory actions, it can be anticipated that those actions will be challenged in federal district courts as soon as they become operative, if not before. In other...
Department of Labor Announces Temporary Enforcement Policy for Group Health Plan Service Provider Disclosures
By Roberta Casper Watson, Dannae Delano and Barry Salkin The Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2021 (“CAA”) amended Section 408(b)(2) of ERISA to require that providers of brokerage services or...
HHS Reaffirms That Discrimination on Basis of Sex Under ACA Section 1557 Includes Discrimination Based on Sexual Orientation and Gender Identity
By Roberta Casper Watson, Dannae Delano and Barry Salkin New guidance from the Department of Health and Human Services (“HHS”) affirms that Section 1557 of the Affordable Care Act (the “ACA”), by...
Agencies Issue Interim Final Regulations on Prescription Drug and Health Care Spending Data Submission by Group Health Plans and Health Insurance Issuers
Section 204 of Title II of Division BB (“Section 204”) the Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2021 (the “Act”) requires group health plans and health insurance issuers offering group health insurance...
IRS Proposes Delayed Effective Dates for Affordable Care Act (“ACA”) Filing Requirements
The IRS has, in years past, extended deadlines for employer and group health plan ACA reporting. The IRS will not issue extended deadlines for 2021 reporting due in the first quarter of 2022. In...
Agencies Issue Two Rounds of No Surprise Billing Guidance
By Roberta Casper Watson, Dannae Delano and Barry Salkin The No Surprises Act (“Act”), part of the Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2021, enhances the ACA’s consumer protections by prohibiting...
Paycheck Protection Program Flexibility Act of 2020 Passes Senate
by Barry Salkin, Roberta Casper Watson and Livia Quan Aber The Paycheck Protection Program (“PPP”), which was enacted as part of the CARES Act, allows businesses to borrow funds that are guaranteed...
Employee Retention Tax Credit Under the CARES Act
by Barry Salkin, Roberta Casper Watson and Livia Quan Aber The Families First Coronavirus Response Act (the “FFCRA”) established tax credits under the Emergency Paid Sick Leave Act and the Emergency...
The Families First Coronavirus Response Act Updated to Include Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security Act Provisions
by Roberta Watson, Barry Salkin and Virginia Peabody This Law Alert serves as an update to the Law Alert sent out on March 19, 2020 concerning the paid leave and group health plan provisions of The...
The Families First Coronavirus Response Act
by Roberta Watson, Barry Salkin and Virginia Peabody Effective no later than April 2, 2020, the Emergency Paid Sick Leave Act (the “Sick Leave Act”) and the Emergency Family and Medical Leave...