On August 19, 2024, the Internal Revenue Service issued Notice 2024-63 (the Notice), providing guidance regarding the implementation of Section 110 of the SECURE 2.0 Act of 2022, which permits employers with a 401(k) plan or 403(b) plan to provide matching contributions to employees based on employee student loan payments. Through various questions and answers, the Notice provides practical information on how to administer eligibility rules, employee certification, nondiscrimination testing, and other procedures.
Read more here.2024 Final Mental Health Parity Regulations: First Impressions
Alden Bianchi, Jake Mattinson, and Sarah Raaii recently authored an article in ALM Benefits Pro commenting on the final Mental Health Parity and Addiction Equity Act (MHPAEA) regulations issued last month by the Biden administration. While some of the more objectionable features of the proposed MHPAEA regulations were not finalized, they argue that their basic structure remains fully intact, including provisions that employers found most burdensome.
Webinar Replay: Unpacking the Final Mental Health Parity Regulations
On September 9, 2024, the Biden administration issued much-anticipated final regulations under the Mental Health Parity and Addiction Equity Act (MHPAEA). The rules implement a host of complicated new compliance requirements for sponsors and issuers of health plans, instituting new obligations to collect and evaluate plan data, conduct comparative analyses, and act to address material differences in access to mental health and substance abuse benefits as compared to medical and surgical benefits.
During a recent webinar, Alden Bianchi, Jake Mattinson, and Sarah Raaii provided a comprehensive overview of the new rules, including compliance deadlines and key takeaways for employers, plan sponsors, and issuers of group health plans. The speakers also addressed how the new rules might impact any ongoing US Department of Labor investigations.
Texas AG’s Landmark AI Settlement: A Wake-Up Call for Health Tech & AI Companies
Healthcare providers, payors, and other healthcare organizations should be aware of a recently announced, “first-of-its-kind” settlement between the Texas attorney general and a healthcare generative artificial intelligence (AI) company resolving allegations that the company made a series of false and misleading statements about the accuracy and safety of its AI products. The settlement highlights the potential for enforcement against companies that utilize AI in a healthcare setting under existing laws that are not specific to AI and the importance of exercising caution in developing claims about an AI product’s efficacy or performance.
IRS Releases Guidance on Matching Contributions for Student Loan Payments
Last month, the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) released long-awaited guidance on matching contributions for qualified student loan payments under § 401(k) of the Internal Revenue Code and other similar retirement plans. This guidance aims to help plan sponsors with setting up these programs for plan years beginning after December 31, 2024, until proposed regulations are issued.
Learn more and see other updates in this Weekly IRS Roundup.
