On August 16, 2022, President Biden signed into law the Inflation Reduction Act of 2022 (IRA), which contains prescription drug pricing reform provisions. The three main Medicare prescription drug pricing reform provisions included are as follows: Drug Price Negotiations: Allows the federal government to negotiate for a select number of vaccines and/or drugs Inflation-Based Rebates:...
After spending a year on the brink of repeal, the Affordable Care Act is alive and well. ACA reporting is just around the corner, so join McDermott partners Judith Wethall and Finn Pressly for a refresher course on everything you need to know about the Forms 1094-C and 1095-C. The 45-minute conversation will also include...
To recruit and retain top talent, employers often offer benefits more generous than required under the law. Such benefits include unlimited vacation, paid maternity leave and paid paternity leave. However, a recent US Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) lawsuit filed against Estee Lauder Companies, Inc. (Estee Lauder) reveals how even the most well-intentioned of programs...
Pay equity, the concept that gender differences should not affect compensation, is a concept easy to support, yet has been stubbornly hard to achieve. Federal law has become calcified in addressing the stubborn pay gap between men and women. State and local initiatives, along with private actors, have increasingly taken steps in the past year...
A unanimous panel of the NLRB, including Chairman Philip A. Miscimarra, held that ACA mandates do not relieve an employer of its duty to bargain with a union representing its employees regarding certain health insurance benefit plan changes. Read the full article.
The U.S. Department of Labor recently published proposed revisions to the template and related materials for the summary of benefits and coverage (SBC) and the Uniform Glossary. These documents are required to be provided to plan participants under the Affordable Care Act (ACA). See our articles Additional Guidance Issued on Summary of Benefits and Coverage...
On September 17, 2015, McDermott hosted a webcast featuring, among others, four speakers from our own Employee Benefits, Compensation and Labor & Employment practice discussing the ramifications of the NLRB’s decision and the steps businesses should be taking to decrease risk associated with joint-employer relationships. Click here to view the archived webinar (materials available here until December...
Thursday, September 17, 2015 12:00 – 1:00 pm CDT On Thursday, August 27, 2015, the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) issued a decision significantly expanding the definition of a joint employer. The decision has implications for most employers, both unionized and non-unionized. Joint-employer issues may affect businesses using contractors or staffing agencies; franchisers and franchisees;...
In order to direct the ongoing reform of Chinese public hospitals, the Chinese central government recently issued the Guiding Opinions on Pilot Comprehensive Reform of Urban Public Hospitals, which highlight various strategies to replace the current profit-driven model, reduce patients’ medical expenditures, improve the current management system, establish appropriate remuneration mechanisms to motivate medical personnel,...
Thursday, July 30, 2015 12:00 – 1:00 pm EDT On June 26, 2015, the Supreme Court of the United States ruled in Obergefell v. Hodges that it is unconstitutional for a state to ban same-sex couples from exercising the fundamental right to marry. All states are now required to permit same-sex couples to marry and...