The US Supreme Court declined to review a recent Ninth Circuit decision, blocking the interim rules that exempted employers with religious or moral objections from providing birth control coverage required by the Affordable Care Act (ACA). Until such time as this issue is clarified, it is prudent for employers with employees in certain states to
Fridays with Benefits Webinar | All in the Family: 21st Century Benefit Plan Strategies for Family-Owned Businesses
Those were the days: when family-owned businesses paid only passing attention to the business value of providing tax-efficient—and incentivizing—benefit plans and compensation options. Tomorrow, Employee Benefits partner Todd Solomon and Private Client partner Bobbi Bierhals join host Judith Wethall during our Fridays with Benefits webinar series to discuss benefit plans and compensation strategies for modern
Fridays With Benefits Webinar | Quick & Easy Recipes for Fixing 401(k) Plans
Join us Friday, May 17, as Allison Wilkerson, Brian Tiemann and Sarah Engle join host Judith Wethall to talk through the value of conducting a proactive self-audit of 401(k) plans. They will provide best practices designed to reduce the risk of costly government investigations. Attendees will come away prepared and confident in their position, and
DOL Offers Interim Relief for Employers’ Association Health Plans
Last week, the Department of Labor (DOL) responded to the district court decision striking down the final regulations expanding the ability for a group of unrelated employers to form an organization in order to offer health care to its members. The DOL’s statement setting forth policy positions regarding association health plans (AHPs) indicated its intent
Fridays With Benefits Webinar | The Triage Unit: Cutting Health Plan Costs Without Sending Benefits to the Emergency Room
Join us Friday, April 19 as Erin Turley and Judith Wethall discuss some of the innovative strategies organizations are employing to achieve transparency, reduce fees and provide enhanced offerings when negotiating multi-year health and welfare benefit plan contracts.
Our lively 45-minute discussion will cover emerging trends you can leverage at the negotiating table, including
- Pharmacy
Court Puts Association Health Plans in Limbo
On March 28, a District of Columbia federal court agreed with a New York-led challenge by a group of 11 states and the District of Columbia and found that the Department of Labor’s (DOL) 2018 association health plan (AHP) rule (the Final Rule):
- Is contrary to the Employee Retirement Income Security Act of 1974 (ERISA)’s
A Momentary Victory for the ACA: Federal Judge Issues a Nationwide Injunction against Trump Administration’s Contraceptive Coverage Carve Outs
On January 14, 2019, US District Judge Wendy Beetlestone in the US District Court for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania issued a nationwide preliminary injunction blocking the Trump administration’s carveouts to the Affordable Care Act’s (ACA) contraceptive coverage mandate. One day prior, US District Judge Haywood Gilliam in the US District Court for the Northern
Fridays With Benefits Webinar | ERISA Litigation – Are You Bullet-Proofed for the Inevitable?
What to expect in 2019 and how to prepare now. Join McDermott lawyers Judith Wethall, Ted Becker and Rick Pearl for an interactive discussion regarding ERISA litigation trends.
Join our lively 45-minute discussion while we tackle the following items:
- Plaintiffs’ law firm’s solicitations
- Health & Welfare Fee Litigation
- Defined-Benefit Plan Litigation – Actuarial Equivalence lawsuits
Death By A Thousand Cuts–Will the ACA Survive?
Late in the afternoon on Friday, December 14, Federal US District Judge Reed O’Connor struck down the Affordable Care Act (ACA) in its entirety, a feat that was, for the past few years, unsuccessfully attempted by the Republican-led Congress. O’Connor reasoned that if the individual mandate is no longer valid, the entire ACA must also
Fridays With Benefits Webinar | Make Way For The HRA!
Join us Friday, December 7 for our monthly Fridays With Benefits webinar. New proposed rules make the HRA an interesting option for employers beginning in 2020. Join McDermott lawyers for an interactive discussion regarding the “Integrated HRA” the “Excepted Benefit HRA” and the medical plan design opportunities they present.
Join our lively 45-minute discussion while