Sarah Raaii
Subscribe to Sarah Raaii's PostsSarah G. Raaii focuses her practice on employee benefits and matters related to health care reform, data privacy and HIPAA compliance, executive compensation, and health and welfare, cafeteria, 401(k), 403(b) and pension plans. Read Sarah Raaii's full bio.
Enforcement of Mental Health Parity Regulations Suspended: Takeaways for Plan Sponsors and Health Insurance Issuers
By Alden Bianchi, Jacob Mattinson and Sarah Raaii on May 22, 2025
Posted In Employee Benefits, Mental Health Parity and Addiction Equity Act
Enforcement of the 2024 final regulations under the Mental Health Parity and Addiction Equity Act (MHPAEA) has been suspended due to litigation by The ERISA Industry Committee. In response, the US Departments of Labor, Health and Human Services, and Treasury announced that they will not enforce the new rule until the case is resolved, plus...
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Food as Medicine: A Deep Dive Into Reimbursement
By Mary Moll Alexandre, Stephen Bernstein, Debra Curtis, Amanda Enyeart, Jayda Greco, Dexter Golinghorst, Kayla Holgash, Alan LeBlang, Sarah Raaii and Kerrin B. Slattery on May 20, 2025
Posted In Health and Welfare Plans
The topic of “food as medicine” has gained increased attention recently, driven by a growing recognition of the role nutrition plays in preventing and managing chronic diseases. However, marketplace participants continue to face various hurdles, such as funding and reimbursement, in launching initiatives and demonstrating their value and beneficial impact on global health and well-being....
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5 Trends in Health Plan Regulations to Watch in New Trump Administration
By Sarah Raaii and Alden Bianchi on May 8, 2025
Posted In Health and Welfare Plans
With a new presidential administration, the changing regulatory landscape regarding health benefits – often, the second-largest expense for a business after salaries – has been top of mind for HR executives. Much of the early commentary focused on contested “red state/blue state” issues, such as gender-affirming care. The president’s ever-growing list of executive orders now...
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IRS Announces 2026 Limits for Health Savings Accounts, High-Deductible Health Plans, and Excepted Benefit HRAs
By Jacob Mattinson and Sarah Raaii on May 6, 2025
Posted In Employee Benefits, Health and Welfare Plans
The Internal Revenue Service recently announced cost-of-living adjustments to the applicable dollar limits for health savings accounts, high-deductible health plans, and excepted benefit health reimbursement arrangements for 2026. All of the dollar limits currently in effect for 2025 will change for 2026, with the exception of one limit. Read more here.
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PBMs Score a Win in Federal Court Against State Regulation
By Alden Bianchi and Sarah Raaii on Apr 25, 2025
Posted In Employee Benefits, Health and Welfare Plans
A recent federal court decision in McKee Foods Corp. v. BFP Inc. declared that Tennessee’s “any willing pharmacy” requirement was preempted by the federal Employee Retirement Income Security Act of 1974. This decision impacts self-funded group health plans, potentially allowing them to comply with a single set of rules nationwide rather than navigating conflicting state...
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How PPM Health Plans Can Solve the MEWA Problem
By Sarah Raaii, Alden Bianchi, Erin Turley, Teal Trujillo and Allison Wilkerson on Mar 6, 2025
Posted In Employee Benefits, Health and Welfare Plans
A physician practice management (PPM) structure can help ensure compliance with corporate practice of medicine laws and simplify administrative tasks. However, it can also unintentionally lead to health plan issues that need to be carefully managed to prevent compliance problems or complications when selling PPM entities. Read more here.
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Examining Group Health Coverage Alternatives for Small Employers
By Alden Bianchi, Sarah Raaii, Teal Trujillo and Erin Turley on Feb 27, 2025
Posted In Employee Benefits, Health and Welfare Plans
Small employers have long struggled to offer comprehensive major medical coverage to their workers and families, mainly due to underwriting hurdles. Groups with fewer than 50 employees are often confined to state small group market plans, which can be costly. Even slightly larger groups, underwritten based on their own claims history, still face a significant...
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Supreme Court’s Transgender Case May Affect Travel Benefits
By Alden Bianchi and Sarah Raaii on Jan 28, 2025
Posted In Employee Benefits, Health and Welfare Plans
The US Supreme Court is currently reviewing a case (US v. Skrmetti) concerning Tennessee’s ban on gender-affirming care for youth. If the Court upholds the ban, some employers might consider offering travel benefits to help employees access healthcare services that are prohibited by state law. This could also apply to other plan-covered services that are...
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California SB 923: New Trans-Inclusive Healthcare Requirements for Health Plans
By Gregory Fosheim, Dane Chapman, Sarah Raaii and Teal Trujillo on Jan 24, 2025
Posted In Employee Benefits, Health and Welfare Plans
Beginning in the first quarter of 2025, California healthcare service plans, health insurers, and certain other organizations must ensure that staff who have direct enrollee contact receive evidence-based cultural competency training focused on transgender-inclusive healthcare. This requirement arises from Senate Bill No. 923, a law passed by the California legislature in 2022. Provider directories must...
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New Rules Simplify ACA Employer Shared Responsibility Reporting Obligations
By Jacob Mattinson, Sarah Raaii and Alden Bianchi on Jan 21, 2025
Posted In Employee Benefits, Health and Welfare Plans
Two recently passed laws have modified the provisions of the Affordable Care Act (ACA) that require employers and insurers to prepare tax forms showing offers of health coverage, streamlining the compliance and reporting process. Under the ACA’s employer shared responsibility provisions, applicable large employers must either offer qualifying health coverage to full-time employees (and their...
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