Health & Welfare

The Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (“EEOC”) has issued two sets of proposed regulations that would change certain rules on how employer-sponsored wellness programs that require employees to answer disability-related questions or undergo medical examinations can comply with the Americans with Disabilities Act (“ADA”) and the Genetic Information Nondiscrimination Act of 2008 (“GINA”). ...

The Department of Labor (“DOL”) has issued Field Assistance Bulletin (“FAB”) 2020-8 to provide guidance regarding the use of telemedicine in establishing a “serious health condition” under the Family and Medical Leave Act (“FMLA”).

The Department of Labor (“DOL”) has issued Field Assistance Bulletin (“FAB”) 2020-7 to provide guidance on when, as a matter of enforcement policy, it will consider the electronic posting of the General FMLA Notice to be in compliance with the law.

By Dannae Delano, Barry Salkin and Roberta Casper Watson

In Pharmaceutical Care Management Association v. Rutledge, the U.S. Supreme Court has held that ERISA does not preempt an Arkansas statute that imposes rules on pharmacy benefits managers (“PBMs”).

The Department of Labor, Department of Health and Human Services, and the IRS (collectively, the “Agencies”) have issued final regulations providing greater flexibility to plan sponsors that wish to retain their group health plans’ “grandfathered” status under the Affordable Care Act (“ACA”).  The final regulations are substantially unchanged from the earlier proposed regulations.

The IRS has issued FAQs to help employers determine the amount of “qualified health plan expenses” for purposes of determining their tax credit under the Families First Coronavirus Response Act (“FFCRA”).

Facts. The IRS released Information Letter 2020-0024 in response to an inquiry it received from a qualified transportation plan participant with unused transit benefits due to COIVD-19. In particular, the participant explained that due to the COVID-19 pandemic he was now driving to work rather than taking public transportation, and he asked whether his unused benefits could be rolled over to ...

The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (“CMS”) has announced the deductibles, premiums and coinsurance amounts for Medicare Part A and Part B for 2021. Medicare Part A covers inpatient hospital and hospice care, while Part B covers outpatient services such as doctors’ visits.

By Barry L. Salkin, Roberta Casper Watson, and Dannae Delano