Health Care Reform Dashboard

Health Care Reform Dashboard

Charting Developments with the
Affordable Care Act and Beyond

Wellness Programs

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01/11/2022

Temporary Enforcement Policy Addresses CAA’s Health Plan Service Provider Disclosure Requirements

Summary The U.S. Department of Labor (DOL) has issued a temporary enforcement policy to address frequently asked questions about the requirement for certain service providers to disclose direct and indirect compensation data to group health plan fiduciaries under the Consolidated Appropriations Act (2021) (CAA). The Upshot The CAA’s disclosure requirement applies to entities providing brokerage or consulting services [&hellip… Continue Reading »
10/07/2021

HHS Clarifies Applicability of HIPAA Privacy Rule to COVID-19 Vaccination Status Requests

The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) has released guidance to address how the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) Privacy Rule applies to various entities’ requests for information related to an individual’s COVID-19 vaccination status. HHS emphasized that the Privacy Rule applies only to covered entities, including health plans and most [&hellip… Continue Reading »
10/06/2021

COVID-19 Vaccination Incentives: Restrictions that Come with Rewards

Summary A set of Frequently Asked Questions addresses several issues of vital interest to employers in assessing the connection between COVID-19 vaccinations and their health plans. The Upshot The FAQs confirm that the preventive care rules under the Affordable Care Act (ACA) require health plans to cover the full cost of vaccinations that have received an emergency [&hellip… Continue Reading »
01/13/2021

A Second Proposal: EEOC Issues New Guidance on Nondiscrimination for Wellness Programs

Summary The Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) announced it will issue much-anticipated guidance that revises its nondiscrimination rules for wellness programs under the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) and Genetic Information Nondiscrimination Act (GINA). The Upshot The two sets of proposed regulations replace rules the EEOC withdrew in 2018 after a federal district court invalidated [&hellip… Continue Reading »
12/20/2018

EEOC Withdraws Wellness Incentive Guidance

The Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) has formally withdrawn the provisions in its regulations governing wellness programs under the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) and the Genetic Information Nondiscrimination Act (GINA), which set limits on the amount of incentives for participation in a wellness program. This withdrawal aligns the regulations with a court order that [&hellip… Continue Reading »
01/20/2017

Health Care Reform in Transition While Congress Deliberates

Changes are imminent for the Affordable Care Act and a range of other laws and regulations affecting the health care industry. Ballard Spahr attorneys established a Health Care Reform Initiative in 2008 to monitor and analyze health care reform developments. This Health Care Reform Dashboard was a product of that initiative. We intend to continue following [&hellip… Continue Reading »
09/27/2016

Hot Topics in Employer Health Benefits

As we start looking forward to 2017, and as many employers head into annual enrollment periods this fall, it is necessary to account for changes in the law that have a significant impact on health benefit plans. This short list of significant developments may help you prepare for what is coming: Affordable Care Act (ACA) Reporting. The [&hellip… Continue Reading »
05/25/2016

EEOC Finalizes Wellness Program Regulations

The Equal Employment Opportunity Commission has published final regulations and a set of questions and answers on how the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) applies to employer-sponsored wellness programs that offer employees incentives to respond to disability-related inquiries or undergo medical examinations. At the same time, the EEOC published final regulations and a set of [&hellip… Continue Reading »
01/27/2016

Wellness Program Exempted from ADA

A federal district court in Wisconsin has upheld an employer-sponsored wellness program against a challenge by the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) that the program violated the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA). In EEOC v Flambeau, the court ruled that the wellness program qualified for a safe harbor under the ADA that permits an employer [&hellip… Continue Reading »
11/09/2015

EEOC Proposes Guidance on GINA, Wellness Program

The Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) has followed up on proposed regulations that it issued this spring on wellness programs under the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) with a new set of proposed regulations on wellness programs under the Genetic Information Nondisclosure Act (GINA). Most significantly, the regulations provide relief with regard to an issue [&hellip… Continue Reading »
04/21/2015

EECO Tackles Wellness Programs

After much silence, some litigation, and recent congressional hearings, the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) has at long last proposed regulations (together with a fact sheet and set of frequently asked questions and answers) that interpret how the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) applies to wellness program incentives. Employers that sponsor wellness programs are likely [&hellip… Continue Reading »
06/03/2013

Final Wellness Program Nondisrimination Rules Published

The U.S. Departments of Treasury, Labor, and Health and Human Services have issued final regulations on the nondiscrimination requirements applicable to wellness programs. The new rules essentially follow the terms set forth in the proposed regulations, with several clarifications, all of which will apply to plan years beginning on and after January 1, 2014. The final [&hellip… Continue Reading »
11/27/2012

Proposed Regulations Address Discrimination in Wellness Programs

The Departments of Treasury, Labor, and Health and Human Services have issued a revised set of proposed regulations for nondiscrimination in wellness programs. The regulations prohibit a wellness program offered as part of a health plan from discriminating against individuals on account of an adverse health factor. The revised rules are scheduled to apply in [&hellip… Continue Reading »
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