On June 17, 2021 the Supreme Court issued their long awaited decision in the case of California v Texas. The case was initially filed in early 2018 based on the pending elimination of the Affordable Care Act’s (ACA) individual mandate penalty. Three years later, in a 7-2 decision, the Court declined to consider the merits […]
HSA Limits for 2022 IRS Revenue Procedure 2021-25 updated the limits for qualified high deductible health plans (QHDHPs) for plan years beginning in 2022 as well as the 2022 calendar year health savings account (HSA) contribution limits, as set forth below:
On November 30, 2020, preliminary approval was granted for a settlement agreement to resolve antitrust claims against Blue Cross Blue Shield Association and member plans, including CareFirst. The class action lawsuit was based on allegations that member plans conspired together to divide the country into service areas and then worked to limit competition among the […]
On March 11, 2021, President Biden signed the American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) into law. The $1.9 trillion stimulus law includes several welfare and fringe benefit plan provisions. The information outlined below is subject to clarification as the government agencies issue guidance to implement ARPA.
Price transparency in health care has been a topic of interest for several years. The Consolidated Appropriations Act of 2021 (the CAA) continued this trend by adding numerous provisions that impact cost transparency for all group health plans. Some of these provisions are found in the No Surprises Act while others are found in a separate title […]
The Consolidated Appropriations Act of 2021 includes the No Surprises Act (the Act), which is intended to protect patients from the financial impact of unexpected balance billing in cases where they have little or no control over who provides their care. Instead, the Act shifts responsibility for these expenses to providers and payers (insurers and self-insured health […]
On December 27th, President Trump signed the Consolidated Appropriations Act of 2021 (the Act) into law. The Act funds the federal government for the remainder of the fiscal year and provides additional COVID relief. This Benefit Minute provides an overview of benefit and payroll provisions in the Act.
The table below details the 2021 and 2020 limitations for qualified plans and other benefit related items.
On November 10, the Supreme Court heard oral arguments in the ongoing case of Texas v. California. The litigation centers on whether the individual mandate imposed by the Affordable Care Act (ACA) remains constitutional after elimination of the related tax penalty, and what impact finding it unconstitutional would have on the remainder of the ACA.