HIPAA Archives - Word on Benefits

The End of the COVID-19 Emergencies Arrives Early

Amanda Wilke

12 Apr 202318 Apr 2023

This blog has been updated with new information from the previous version published on April 12, 2023. President Biden signed H.R. Res. 7 on Monday, April 10, 2023, to end the national emergency (NE) for COVID-19, effective immediately. Although the NE ended […]

Compliance Coronavirus (COVID-19) Employee Assistance Program (EAP) Employee Benefits Health Care HIPAA Insurance Regulatory U.S.

It’s Coming—The End of the COVID-19 Emergencies

Amanda Wilke

21 Mar 202321 Mar 2023

After nearly three years, the time has finally come. The Biden administration announced that both the COVID-19 national emergency (NE) and the public health emergency (PHE) will end on May 11, 2023. Now it’s time for employers to prepare to unwind the […]

Compliance Employee Benefits Health Care HIPAA Insurance Legislative U.S.

Abortion Medication: State and Federal Regulations Plan Sponsors Need to Know

Staff

27 Jan 202310 Mar 2023

Recent actions by the federal government are designed to ensure full access to abortion medication across the country, but it remains unclear whether these medications can be prescribed to and legally obtained by patients in states that have banned or limited abortions. […]

Compliance Dependent Care Employee Benefits Health Care HIPAA Human Resources (HR) Insurance U.S.

Dependent Eligibility Audits – What Are They and Why Should You Consider Conducting One?

Julie Stich, CEBS

13 Dec 202213 Dec 2022

Anyone who works with health care benefit plans knows that costs keep going up. They also know they have a responsibility to make sure the plan is sustainable. Add into that the ERISA responsibility to make sure the plan’s terms are followed. […]

Compliance Employee Benefits Health Care HIPAA Legislative Regulatory U.S.

HIPAA Turns 26: Time to Review New Guidance!

Anne Newhouse

17 Aug 202217 Aug 2022

Maybe the 26th anniversary (coming up on August 21, 2022) of the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) isn’t as noteworthy a milestone year as last year’s 25th, but the act remains in the headlines in 2022. HIPAA, the cornerstone patient […]

Communication Coronavirus (COVID-19) Employee Benefits Health Care HIPAA Insurance U.S.

HIPAA Guidance on Postpandemic Audio-Only Telehealth

Amanda Wilke

19 Jul 202219 Jul 2022

On June 13, 2022, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) Office for Civil Rights (OCR) issued guidance on Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) requirements as they relate to audio-only telehealth. Telehealth technology is typically thought of as […]

Canada Communication Coronavirus (COVID-19) Employee Benefits Health Care HIPAA Insurance

The Perfect Storm Facing Canada’s Rapidly Aging Population: An Interview with Bonnie-Jeanne MacDonald, Ph.D.

Tim Hennessy

09 Jun 202209 Jun 2022

In an interview in the March/April issue of Plans & Trusts, actuary Bonnie-Jeanne MacDonald, Ph.D., FCIA, FSA, called for new policies and practices to address the multiple challenges and opportunities facing Canada’s long-term care model. MacDonald, the director of financial security research […]

Employee Benefits HIPAA Regulatory

Keeping Compliant With HIPAA Security Regulations

rosep

15 Mar 202215 Mar 2022

The Office for Civil Rights (OCR), under the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), is responsible for enforcing the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act of 1996 (HIPAA). In 2020, OCR received 27,182 HIPAA-related complaints. Of these, some of the most […]

Employee Benefits Health Care HIPAA Human Resources (HR) U.S.

Happy Anniversary, HIPAA

Kathy Bergstrom, CEBS

09 Aug 202105 Aug 2021

August 2021 marks the 25th anniversary of the signing of the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA). The main goals of the law were improving the portability of health insurance coverage for people who change jobs, preventing health care fraud, assisting […]

Affordable Care Act (ACA) Compliance Employee Benefits HIPAA Wellness

When Wellness Programs Get Scary

Guest Contributor

31 Oct 201731 Oct 2017

You wouldn’t think running wellness programs would be all that scary for employers, but Macy’s Inc., along with its subsidiaries Anthem and Cigna, are likely screaming in horror at a lawsuit filed against them by the Department of Labor (DOL) for management […]