To The Point Podcast

In swift response to a portion of the June 2019 Executive Order that directed the Treasury to consider regulations to help patients with HDHPs, the IRS recently announced an expanded definition of preventive care benefits that can be provided before the HDHP deductible is met.

Wellness is a strategy to improve employee health but it can be challenging.

Recently, new HRA rules were released by the Departments of Treasury, Labor, and Health and Human Services in answer to President Trump’s Executive Order from October 2017 that directed the agencies to consider how to expand the flexibility and use of HRAs.

Legal activity regarding the ACA continues to make its way through the courts. With the 2020 election on the horizon and healthcare still a hot topic, we expect to see an uptick in attempted legislation and efforts in both directions. Tune in to hear a discussion on ACA updates.

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Recently, a federal judge ruled that parts of the Trump administration’s 2018 final rule on association health plans were invalid. The court then directed the Department of Labor to reconsider how the remaining provisions of the final rule are affected. The court called the final rule an “end-run” around the Affordable Care Act and said that the DOL exceeded its authority under ERISA. And then just last week the DOL responded in disagreement with the court’s ruling and the DOL filed a notice of appeal. Listen to this podcast to find out what parts of the rule were struck down, and how the DOL’s response may impact the future of AHPs.

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Did you know that a rehired employee cannot be asked to re-satisfy a waiting period for benefits eligibility if they return to work with 13 weeks of their termination date? Tune in to learn the rules surrounding rehired or reinstated employees and where exceptions may exist.

As health costs and employer expenditures increase, more employers are considering innovative strategies to help lower health care costs. As with any new strategy, it is important for employers to do their homework and thoroughly evaluate options before jumping in. This podcast offers a discussion of the potential benefits and pitfalls for employers to consider.

On December 20, 2018 the Federal Register published the final rule from the EEOC removing the part of the regulations related to incentive limits for medical questions and exams under a wellness program. If this sounds familiar to what we heard from the Court in Dec 2017, that’s because it is. But does the absence of any limit mean employers shouldn’t incentivize wellness programs any longer? Tune in to find out.

In October 2017, President Trump issued an Executive Order calling on the departments to take action on a handful of specific tasks, one of which was to expand the use of Health Reimbursement Arrangements (HRAs). We finally saw proposed guidance on this in late October 2018 when two new types of HRAs were introduced. Listen in to learn more about these proposed HRAs and how they might impact employers.

Listen to our year-end podcast for a review of the major 2018 benefits compliance milestones and a look forward to 2019, including a discussion on the recent ruling by the federal judge in Texas who declared the ACA unconstitutional.