health insurance Archives - Word on Benefits

What’s Going On With Health Information and Cybersecurity

Kathy Bergstrom, CEBS

14 Feb 202421 Feb 2024

Health plan sponsors should take note: Regulators are increasing their focus on the privacy and security of health information. And failure to comply with the latest guidance on these areas could prove costly. In their article “Risks Abound: What’s Going on With […]

Compliance Diversity and Inclusion Employee Benefits Legislative LGBTQ+ Regulatory U.S.

Legal & Legislative Reporter: Third Party Administrator Liable for Violation of ACA Antidiscrimination Provision

Guest Contributor

16 Mar 202316 Mar 2023

Every month, the International Foundation releases the Legal and Legislative Reporter, a compilation of new employee benefits–related case summaries. Below is a summary we thought you’d be interested in. Content provided by Morgan, Lewis & Bockius LLP. The U.S. District Court for the […]

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 Insurance Legislative Prescription Drugs U.S.

Health Plans and Marijuana: What to Know Now

Kathy Bergstrom, CEBS

01 Dec 202227 Jan 2023

President Joe Biden is expected to sign a medical marijuana research bill that could eventually have an impact on health plan coverage of medical marijuana. On November 16, the U.S. Senate passed Medical Marijuana and Cannabidiol Research Act, which was passed by […]

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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 […]

Communication DOL Employee Benefits Health Care Insurance Legislative Prescription Drugs

Update on the No Surprises Act

Anne Newhouse, CEBS

25 Jan 202225 Jan 2022

On December 27, 2020, the Consolidated Appropriations Act (CAA) of 2021 was signed into law and included the No Surprises Act (the Act). With so much guidance already published addressing the Act, the Department of Labor’s (DOL) Employee Benefits Security Administration (EBSA) […]

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

What to Expect for Health Care Costs in 2022

Anne Newhouse, CEBS

22 Nov 202122 Nov 2021

As we get closer to 2022, plan sponsors are wondering what next year will mean for their employee benefits plans, especially group health plans. Health care costs are complicated, and the pandemic made everything even more complicated. COVID-19 continues to impact plans […]

Dependent Care Employee Benefits Insurance

Questions Parents Are Asking About the Age 26 Mandate and Disabled Adult Dependents

Amanda Wilke, CEBS

11 Nov 202111 Nov 2021

The passing of the Affordable Care Act (ACA) and the age 26 mandate eased the stress of finding health insurance for many parents of adult children. Our previous blog, 9 Questions Parents Are Asking About the Age 26 Mandate, answers questions that […]

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 […]

American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) Coronavirus (COVID-19) Employee Benefits Health Care Multiemployer Regulatory U.S.

How Do Multiemployer Plans Claim COBRA Premium Assistance Credit?

Jenny Gartman, CEBS

09 Jun 202108 Jun 2021

The Internal Revenue Service (IRS) has issued Notice 2021-31 which provides guidance for multiemployer plans and plan administrators regarding the new credit available to them for providing continuation health coverage to certain individuals under COBRA. We summarized the COBRA changes under American […]