The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) has announced an investigation into the nation’s six largest pharmacy benefit managers (PBMs). The targeted PBMs include CVS Caremark, Express Scripts, OptumRx, Humana, Prime Therapeutics, and MedImpact Healthcare Systems. PBMs are associated with the largest health insurance companies and mail-order and specialty pharmacies. These highly influential entities in the U.S. Read More
DOL Secretary Defends Worker Classification Approach
During a recent congressional hearing, U.S. Department of Labor (DOL) Secretary Marty Walsh addressed the DOL's approach to misclassifying workers as independent contractors and employees' freedom to join unions. Walsh appeared before the House Committee on Education and Labor to discuss the DOL's request for a $118 million budget increase to reach a total budget of $303 million for FFY 2023. Much of the increased Read More
Rethinking Approaches to Setting Remote Workers’ Pay
As the remote workforce steadily increases, employers have been forced to rethink their employment policies and practices. When it comes to remote workers, one major issue for employers to consider is how to determine their level of pay. Historically, employers have had clear compensation rates based on average labor market rates, which often depend on geographical location. Remote workers are not tied to certain Read More
Executive Order Directs Federal Agencies to Protect and Expand Access to Reproductive Health Care and Privacy Rights for Women Seeking Care
President Biden has issued an Executive Order on Protecting Access to Reproductive Healthcare Services in response to the U.S. Supreme Court’s recent decision in Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization. In the Dobbs decision, the Supreme Court ruled that the U.S. Constitution does not prohibit states from restricting or banning abortion. Biden’s order instructs the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Read More
Hall Benefits Law Boosts C-Suite With Chief Growth Officer
Law360 (August 31, 2022, 3:05 PM EDT) -- Hall Benefits Law has strengthened its C-suite by promoting a former special consultant to chief growth officer, the national boutique benefits firm announced Wednesday. Vasu Pathak, who joined the firm in 2020, began his new role June 27 at the Atlanta headquarters alongside Managing Partner Anne Tyler Hall and Chief Marketing Officer David Hall. In an interview with Read More
Fifth Circuit to Reconsider Federal Employee Vaccine Requirement Challenge
The U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit has agreed to reconsider an April panel decision of the court that would have allowed President Biden’s executive order, requiring COVID-19 vaccinations for federal employees, to go into effect. After the April panel decision gave the Biden administration to implement the executive order starting in May, the challengers’ request for rehearing en banc, or before the full Read More
HBL Strengthens C-Suite, Adds Law Office Manager to National ERISA and Employment Law Team
ATLANTA, Aug. 31, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Now serving plan sponsors and service provider clients in 39 states, national boutique ERISA law firm Hall Benefits Law welcomes Vasu Pathak, Chief Growth Officer, and Katie O'Fallon, Law Office Manager, to the Firm. Pathak rounds out the Firm's C-suite, alongside Managing Partner Anne Tyler Hall and Chief Marketing Officer David Hall, and O'Fallon anchors the Read More
Feds Poised to Implement Four Policy Changes Affecting ERISA Plans Before End of 2022
The Biden administration plans to introduce various rules before the end of 2022 that will impact ERISA-regulated benefits plans. Meanwhile, Congress is working to smooth out differences between the Senate and House on a broad retirement policy omnibus bill. Secure 2.0 The House passed H.R. 2954 in March, which it dubbed "Secure 2.0," as a continuation of the original Secure Act passed in 2019. The overall aim Read More
Federal Agencies Caution Health Plan Sponsors to Comply with ACA Contraceptive Coverage Requirement or Face Enforcement Action
The Secretaries of the U.S. Department of Labor, Health and Human Services, and the Treasury have issued a joint letter reminding health plan sponsors and insurers of their obligations to comply with the Affordable Care Act (ACA) provisions concerning contraceptive coverage. In their letter, the federal agencies note reports of widespread and continuing noncompliance with the ACA mandate and outline actions that plan Read More
Congress Considers Major Changes to Adjudication of ERISA Claims
The Employee and Retiree Access to Justice Act ("the Act") was recently introduced in, both, the Senate and House. This employee benefits bill would create major changes in how ERISA benefit claims currently are adjudicated. Although it remains a draft bill, benefits plan sponsors and fiduciaries should remain aware of this bill and any progress it makes through Congress in the future. In Firestone Tire and Read More
