Health and Welfare Plans Archives - Page 58 of 129

The Challenges of the Trump Administration’s Vow to “Repeal and Replace” the Affordable Care Act

by McDermott Will & Emery | Feb 15, 2017 | Employee Benefits, Health and Welfare Plans

In the presentation “ACA Repeal/Replace Under the Trump Administration,” Susan Nash discusses the implications of President Trump and the GOP’s immediate vow to “repeal and replace” the Affordable Care Act (ACA), which was enacted in 2010 by the Obama Administration to reform the health care system in the US. A complete repeal is unlikely since many ACA changes will require a filibuster proof majority vote in the Senate. However, some changes can be made unilaterally through Executive action by Republicans through Budget Reconciliation, a special legislative process created by Congress to allow for expedited voting on bills that directly impact reviews and expenditures.

The presentation also highlights several proposals that the GOP has been working on to replace ACA, the non-enforcement of market reform requirements, the possible outcomes for the Trump Executive Order and the immediate ramifications for the insurance markets and millions of Americans.

View the presentation slides here.

Three Key Employee Benefit Plan Issues for Health Systems in 2017

by McDermott Will & Emery and Jeffrey Holdvogt | Feb 2, 2017 | Benefit Controversies, Employee Benefits, Health and Welfare Plans

Health system employers should make sure they are familiar with three key employee benefit issues: (1) the new Department of Labor (DOL) fiduciary rule that currently becomes effective April 10, 2017 (but may be delayed in the near future under the new administration); (2) recent excessive fee litigation filed against universities (and now health care systems such as Essentia Health) maintaining Code Section 403(b) fee plans; and (3) new Code Section 457(f) regulations. Each of these issues present risks and opportunities for health systems in 2017.

Read full article here.

DOL Finalizes New Disability Claim Rules for Welfare and Retirement Benefit Plans

by Megan Mardy | Jan 26, 2017 | Benefit Controversies, Employee Benefits, Health and Welfare Plans, Retirement Plans

The US Department of Labor’s Employee Benefit Security Administration recently released final rules on the adjudication of disability claims under welfare and retirement plans (the Final Rule). The purpose of the Final Rule is to add procedural protections and safeguards that are aimed at providing a full and fair claims review process for disability benefit claims, similar to those applicable to group health plans under the Affordable Care Act. The Final Rule also contains helpful guidance for claims and appeals procedures under all types of ERISA plans.

Read the full article here.

Northern District of Texas Blocks Enforcement of the Non-Discrimination Regulations of the ACA

by McDermott Will & Emery | Jan 24, 2017 | Benefit Controversies, Employee Benefits, Health and Welfare Plans

On December 31, 2016, the US District Court for the Northern District of Texas issued an opinion and order in Franciscan Alliance, Inc. et al v. Burwell, which preliminarily enjoins the US Department of Health and Human Services from enforcing, on a nationwide basis, certain portions of the regulations under Section 1557 of the Affordable Care Act that prohibit discrimination based on gender identity and termination of pregnancy. Two similar cases are pending in the US District Court for the District of North Dakota.

Read the full article here.

Supreme Court Declines to Hear Appeal to a Michigan Tax on Health Insurance Plans

by McDermott Will & Emery | Jan 18, 2017 | Health and Welfare Plans

The Supreme Court of the United States has declined to hear the Self-Insurance Institute of America Inc.’s ERISA preemption challenge to a Michigan tax on health insurance plans.

As we previously reported last year, the Sixth Circuit, had decided, on remand from the Supreme Court, that the Michigan Health Insurance Claims Assessment Act (Act) was not preempted by ERISA. The Act imposes a 1 percent tax on all paid claims by insurers or third-party administrators (TPAs) for health services rendered in Michigan to Michigan residents. The case was brought by the Self-Insurance Institute of America (SIIA), a trade association representing the sponsors of self-insured health plans and their TPAs, alleging the Act was preempted by ERISA. The trial court dismissed the case, concluding that the law was not preempted by ERISA. The Sixth Circuit also held that the Act was not preempted. After granting certiorari, the Supreme Court vacated this judgment and remanded the case to the Sixth Circuit for further consideration in light of the Supreme Court’s decision in Gobeille v. Liberty Mut. Life Ins. Co., which invalidated a Vermont statute that required an ERISA plan to report health care information to an all-payer claims database, since the Vermont law interfered with nationally uniform plan administration. On remand, the Sixth Circuit reaffirmed its original decision, finding that nothing in Gobeille warranted overturning its decision. SIIA’s attempt to appeal this decision to the Supreme Court was declined on January 9, 2017.

Accelerating Deductions for Compensation and Benefits if Corporate Tax Rates Are Reduced

by Stephen Pavlick | Jan 17, 2017 | Benefit Controversies, Health and Welfare Plans, Retirement Plans

President-elect Trump proposes to reduce the maximum corporate income tax rate from 35 percent to 15 percent. While the effective date of any rate reduction is uncertain, it likely will not occur before 2018. Deductions claimed when tax rates are 35 percent are worth 20 percent more to the taxpayer than if the same deduction is claimed when rates are 15 percent. Thus, a deduction for a $10 million pension contribution is worth an additional $2 million if claimed in 2017 when the tax rate is 35 percent than if claimed in 2018 when the tax rate is 15 percent.

This article, Accelerating Deductions for Compensation and Benefits if Corporate Tax Rates Are Reduced, discusses how bonus accruals, welfare benefits and pension contributions that might be deducted in 2017 rather than 2018 without much, if any, in the way of additional costs or administrative burdens for the employer and no adverse tax consequences for the employees/participants. Accelerating the deductions for these amounts will result in considerable savings if rates are reduced.

Guidance on Ransomware Attacks under HIPAA and State Data Breach Notification Laws

by Anthony A. Bongiorno and Michael G. Morgan | Jan 12, 2017 | Health and Welfare Plans, Privacy and Data Security

The US Department of Health and Human Services has recently issued guidance under the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act on what covered entities and business associates can do to prevent and recover from ransomware attacks; however, other state data breach notification laws can also be triggered by a ransomware attack. The authors of this article explain the guidance and what to do if you are subject to a ransomware attack.

Read the full article here.

DOL Releases Advance Copies of the 2016 Form 5500

by Lisa Loesel | Jan 10, 2017 | Health and Welfare Plans, Retirement Plans

On November 1, 2016, the US Department of Labor (DOL) released advance copies of the 2016 Form 5500 and Form 5500-SF annual return/report and their related schedules and instructions. Information copies of the 2016 forms, schedules and instructions are available on the DOL’s website. The advance copies were released for informational purposes only, and may not be used for filing. Official versions of Form 5500 and Form 5500-SF should be posted on the DOL’s website early next year.

Read the full article here.

New ECHO Act Focuses on Integrating Telehealth Solutions into Healthcare Delivery

by McDermott Will & Emery, Lisa Schmitz Mazur and Marshall E. Jackson, Jr. | Jan 4, 2017 | Health and Welfare Plans

On December 14, 2016, President Obama signed the Expanding Capacity for Health Outcomes Act (S. 2873) (the ECHO Act). The ECHO Act seeks to expand the use of health care technology and programming to connect underserved communities and populations with critical health care services.

The ECHO Act builds upon the University of New Mexico’s world-renowned Project ECHO by encouraging the broader development and use of technology-enabled collaborative learning and care delivery models by connecting specialists with multiple other health care professionals through simultaneous interactive videoconferencing for the purpose of facilitating case-based learning, disseminating best practices and evaluating outcomes.

The ECHO Act requires the Secretary of the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) to study technology-enabled collaborative learning and capacity building models, and the impact of those models on (1) certain health conditions (i.e., mental health and substance use disorders, chronic diseases, prenatal and maternal health, pediatric care, pain management, and palliative care), (2) health care workforce issues (e.g., specialty care shortages) and (3) public health programs.

Within two years of the enactment of the ECHO Act, the Secretary of HHS must submit a publically available report to Congress that:

Analyzes the impact of technology-enabled collaborative learning and capacity building models, including, but not limited to, the impact on health care provider retention, quality of care, access to care and barriers faced by healthcare providers;
Lists the technology-enabled collaborative learning and capacity building models funded by HHS over the past five years;
Describes best practices used in adopting these models;
Describes barriers to adoption of these models and recommends ways to reduce those barriers and opportunities to increase use of these models; and
Issues recommendations regarding the role of technology-enabled collaborative learning and capacity building models in continuing medical education and lifelong learning, including the role of academic medical centers, provider organizations and community providers in such education and lifelong learning.

The recommendations made in HHS’s report may be used to integrate the Project ECHO model into health systems across the country.

21st Century Cures Act: Small Employer Changes under the Affordable Care Act

by McDermott Will & Emery | Dec 16, 2016 | Health and Welfare Plans

President Obama has signed the 21st Century Cures Act, Pub. L. No. 114-225 (Dec. 13, 2016). As we previously mentioned, the new legislation permits small employers (those that are not considered applicable large employers under the Affordable Care Act (ACA)) to maintain general-purpose stand-alone Health Reimbursement Arrangements (HRAs) if they do not offer a group health plan to any of their employees. Stand-alone HRAs were not permitted based on ACA guidance. Annual benefits under these new HRAs cannot exceed an indexed maximum of $4,950 per year ($10,000 if family members are covered), must be funded solely by employer contributions (employee contributions are not permitted), and can only be used for the reimbursement of Internal Revenue Code §213(d) medical care expenses.

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