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Compliance Briefing | March
March ACA Reporting Deadlines for 2025 Calendar Year Plans Each year, employers subject to Affordable Care Act (ACA) reporting must complete several federal filing requirements early in the calendar year. March is the most critical compliance month for ACA reporting because it includes the primary deadline for furnishing employee statements and the electronic filing deadline with…
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Compliance Briefing | February
Updated HIPAA Notice of Privacy Practices Required in 2026 Employers that sponsor self-funded group health plans should prepare for upcoming changes to the HIPAA Notice of Privacy Practices (NPP). Federal privacy rules require group health plans to provide plan participants with an NPP explaining how their protected health information (PHI) is used, disclosed, and safeguarded.…
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Compliance Briefing | January
2026 Transparency in Coverage (TiC) Posting Requirements Employers sponsoring non-grandfathered, self-funded group health plans and health insurance issuers remain responsible for the ongoing Transparency in Coverage (TiC) public posting requirements. Plans must publicly post machine-readable files (MRFs) that disclose in-network negotiated rates, out-of-network allowed amounts, and billed charges for covered items and services. For fully…
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New Law Demands Prescription Drug Pricing Transparency from Pharmacy Benefit Managers
The recently-enacted Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2026 (CAA 2026) promises to significantly shift the information advantage between pharmacy benefit managers (PBMs) and group health plans by requiring semiannual disclosure of vast amounts of prescription drug cost, pricing, utilization, and compensation data. While this law should create much more transparency and insight for employers, plan sponsors and…
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Final Rules Under the Mental Health Parity and Addiction Equity Act
On Sept. 9, 2024, the U.S. Departments of Health and Human Services (HHS), Labor (DOL), and the Treasury (IRS) (collectively, the Departments) released new final rules implementing the Mental Health Parity and Addiction Equity Act (MHPAEA). The final rule updates the way the Departments determine whether health plans treat mental health and substance use disorder…
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Benefits Breakdown October 2024
Employers Project 8% Increase in Health Care Costs in 2025 A recent survey of employers by the International Foundation of Employee Benefit Plans (IFEBP) revealed that U.S. employers estimate a median 8% increase in health care costs for 2025. Catastrophic health claims and rising specialty prescription drug prices are driving the projected increase. According to…
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Benefits 101: What Is a FSA?
When it comes to health insurance, there is a lot of jargon and plenty of acronyms. Many people have heard of FSAs, but may not actually know — what is a flexible spending account, exactly? If you have an employer-sponsored health plan, a flexible spending account (FSA) is often available as part of the benefits…
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The Pay or Play Percentage Increase for 2025
The Affordable Care Act (ACA) requires large employers to offer affordable health insurance coverage to their full-time employees or face a penalty known as the “Pay or Play” tax. This tax is based on the employer’s average monthly wage (AMW) and the number of full-time employees. The affordability rate for employer-sponsored health coverage will increase from 8.39%…
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Bridging the Generational Divide: Leveraging Technology for Effective Communication
In today’s diverse workplaces, effective communication across generations is essential for fostering collaboration, productivity, and a positive work environment. Understanding the unique communication preferences of each generation can help bridge the gap and create a more inclusive and harmonious workplace. Technology can play a crucial role in bridging the generational gap and facilitating seamless communication.…
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Compliance Recap | Aug. 2024
FEDERAL COURT BLOCKS FTC NON-COMPETE BAN NATIONWIDE: IMPORTANT INSIGHTS FOR EMPLOYERS On August 20, 2024, the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Texas delivered a crucial ruling, effectively halting the Federal Trade Commission’s (FTC) Rule prohibiting most non-compete agreements. The Rule, which was set to go into effect on September 4, 2024, was…
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