Group health plan (GHP) sponsors that offer prescription drug (Rx) coverage must, at least annually, notify Medicare Part D eligible individuals and the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) of their plan’s creditable coverage status. Both disclosures (to Medicare Part D eligible individuals and to CMS) must meet specific form, content and timing requirements as prescribed by CMS . This update addresses the required disclosure to CMS and reminds plan sponsors that on

The Affordable Care Act’s (ACA) enhanced premium tax credits for low-income earners needing individual coverage were first expanded under the American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) of 2021 and extended through 2025 under the Inflation Reduction Act (IRA). These subsidies are now set to expire on December 31, 2025. This has been a hotly debated issue and was in part what Congress and the President were fighting about, which led to the government shutdown. Objectively, these enhanced

The various federal agencies regularly release Affordable Care Act (ACA) and other indexed dollar limits for health and group benefit plans. We have updated the chart  (last published October 2025) to reflect the recently revised final ACA cost sharing limit amounts for 2026 based on the new HHS methodology for calculating the limits. *PCORI fee amounts are generally effective for plan years ending on or after October 1st of the referenced year and before October 1st of the f

The various federal agencies regularly release Affordable Care Act (ACA) and other indexed dollar limits for health and group benefit plans. We have updated the chart  (last published July 2025) to reflect the recently revised final ACA cost sharing limit amounts for 2026 based on the new HHS methodology for calculating the limits. *PCORI fee amounts are generally effective for plan years ending on or after October 1st of the referenced year and before October 1st of the foll

Each year group health plan (GHP) sponsors that provide prescription drug (Rx) coverage are required to annually disclose to Medicare...

On July 4, 2025, a major tax and spending bill was signed into law, commonly referred to as the One Big Beautiful Bill Act (the “OBBB”)....

President Donald Trump’s  One Big Beautiful Bill (OBBB) was signed into law on July 4th. The OBBB was subject to intense negotiation and...

The various federal agencies regularly release Affordable Care Act (ACA) and other indexed dollar limits for health and group benefit...

The Patient-Centered Outcomes Research Institute (“PCORI”) fee was established as part of the Affordable Care Act (“ACA”) to fund medical...

The Paul Wellstone and Pete Domenici Mental Health Parity and Addiction Equity Act (MHPAEA) generally requires parity between a group...

The various federal agencies regularly release Affordable Care Act (ACA) and other indexed dollar limits for health and group benefit...

At the end of 2024, Conner Strong & Buckelew provided an Update  on new Affordable Care Act (ACA) employer reporting changes signed into...

Group health plan (GHP) sponsors that offer prescription drug (Rx) coverage must, at least annually, notify Medicare Part D eligible...

The extension for first dollar coverage of telehealth care for plan sponsors that offer a high deductible health plan (HDHP) paired with...

The various federal agencies regularly release Affordable Care Act (ACA) and other indexed dollar limits for health and group benefit...

The IRS has issued two new Notices expanding the list of items and services that qualify as “preventive care” under health savings...

The various federal agencies regularly release Affordable Care Act (ACA) and other indexed dollar limits for health and group benefit...

The Affordable Care Act ("ACA”) affordability threshold typically changes every year. As is customary, the IRS has announced  the 2025...

A long-awaited Mental Health Parity and Addiction Equity Act (MHPAEA) Final Rule was issued on September 9, 2024. The Final Rule...

Each year group health plan (GHP) sponsors that provide prescription drug coverage are required to annually disclose to Medicare ( Part D...