This post continues our investigation of proposed regulations under the Mental Health Parity and Addiction Equity Act (MHPAEA) issued by the US Departments of Labor, Health and Human Services and the Treasury (the Departments). Our previous MHPAEA content is available here. The purpose of MHPAEA is to ensure that participants and beneficiaries in a group health […]

The post The Proposed MHPAEA Regulations’ ‘Meaning of Terms’ Part One: Benefits appeared first on EMPLOYEE BENEFITS BLOG.

https://www.employeebenefitsblog.com/2023/09/the-proposed-mhpaea-regulations-meaning-of-terms-part-one-benefits/

On August 3, 2023, the US District Court for the Eastern District of Texas ruled on the implementation of the No Surprises Act in Texas Medical Association, et al. v. US Department of Health and Human Services, et al. (TMA IV). In TMA IV, the plaintiffs challenged two things: The increased administrative fee to participate […]

The post Texas District Court Overturns Portions of the IDR Process appeared first on EMPLOYEE BENEFITS BLOG.

https://www.employeebenefitsblog.com/2023/09/texas-district-court-overturns-portions-of-the-idr-process/

Last week’s post examined the “no more restrictive” requirement that would apply to non-quantitative treatment limitations (NQTLs) set out in recently proposed regulations under the Mental Health Parity and Addiction Equity Act (MHPAEA). (Our description of the proposed regulations is available here.) The proposed regulations deal principally with NQTLs, which are non-numeric benefit coverage limits […]

The post The ‘Data Evaluation Requirement’ for NQTLs Under the Newly Proposed MHPAEA Regulations appeared first on EMPLOYEE BENEFITS BLOG.

https://www.employeebenefitsblog.com/2023/09/the-data-evaluation-requirement-for-nqtls-under-the-newly-proposed-mhpaea-regulations/

Numerous states—including Wisconsin, Illinois, Kentucky and Oklahoma—have been busy finalizing rulemaking and legislation that create or amend professional practice standards to incorporate telehealth. What have these states been up to over the last month? Learn more here.

The post States Amend Professional Practice Standards to Incorporate Telehealth appeared first on EMPLOYEE BENEFITS BLOG.

https://www.employeebenefitsblog.com/2023/08/states-amend-professional-practice-standards-to-incorporate-telehealth/

A Los Angeles municipal employee’s medical leave was a motivating reason for her discharge, a California appeals court recently ruled, affirming an award of damages of… https://www.shrm.org/resourcesandtools/legal-and-compliance/state-and-local-updates/pages/court-report-california-flma-leave.aspx

What is the current state of digital health? Where will artificial intelligence (AI) see the most growth and adoption in healthcare? And what are the key AI issues most relevant to healthcare providers? In this TripleTree article, Alya Sulaiman offers her perspective on some of the essential AI questions facing the digital health space. Access […]

The post Digital Health and the Direction of AI in Healthcare appeared first on EMPLOYEE BENEFITS BLOG.

https://www.employeebenefitsblog.com/2023/08/digital-health-and-the-direction-of-ai-in-healthcare/

How is artificial intelligence (AI) shaping the healthcare industry? In this HealthLeaders article, Alya Sulaiman describes an active landscape in which federal agencies and state attorneys general are competing to regulate the technology. Access the article.

The post Will Policy, Regulation Issues Stifle AI’s Advances in Healthcare? appeared first on EMPLOYEE BENEFITS BLOG.

https://www.employeebenefitsblog.com/2023/08/will-policy-regulation-issues-stifle-ais-advances-in-healthcare/

​President Biden is asking the leaders of federal government agencies to boost the number of employees who report for in-person work this fall, joining many private… https://www.shrm.org/resourcesandtools/hr-topics/employee-relations/pages/biden-calls-for-federal-workers-to-return-to-the-office.aspx

Following in the footsteps of Washington State’s My Health My Data Act, the governors of Nevada and Connecticut recently approved Nevada SB 370 and Connecticut SB 3. These bills impose a number of new requirements on the processing of consumer health data. Nevada SB 370 will go into effect on March 31, 2024, while the consumer […]

The post Nevada and Connecticut Pass Consumer Health Data Laws appeared first on EMPLOYEE BENEFITS BLOG.

https://www.employeebenefitsblog.com/2023/08/nevada-and-connecticut-pass-consumer-health-data-laws/

The Biden administration may eliminate a US Department of Labor rule that would have modified how the US government sets prevailing wages for H-1B professionals and employment-based green card applicants, according to this Forbes article. The Trump administration originally sought to use the wage rule to make it more challenging for foreign-born scientists and engineers to […]

The post DOL Wage Rule for Immigrants and H-1B Visa Holders Could Be History appeared first on EMPLOYEE BENEFITS BLOG.

https://www.employeebenefitsblog.com/2023/07/dol-wage-rule-for-immigrants-and-h-1b-visa-holders-could-be-history/