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About this Blog

Welcome to the Snell & Wilmer Benefits Blog. We will be posting about current employee benefits and executive compensation topics and issues. We invite you to contact the authors with your thoughts or questions.

High Deductible Health Plan Telehealth Relief, Extended Again!

If you sponsor a high deductible health plan (“HDHP”) and have been tracking telehealth relief, your head may be spinning and rightfully so!  There have been various laws and guidance impacting HDHPs and telehealth since 2020 and most recently, new legislation extended relief for 2023 and 2024 plan years.  The relief allows, but does not […]

| 4 min read

CalSavers Program Expanding for Small Employers

On August 26, 2022, the Governor of California signed Senate Bill No. 1126 (“S.B. 1126”) into law, amending California’s CalSavers Retirement Savings Program (“CalSavers”).  In general terms, CalSavers automatically enrolls eligible California employees in ROTH Individual Retirement Accounts if their employer does not provide a qualified retirement plan.  CalSavers requires eligible employers to facilitate the […]

| 2 min read | Tagged:

Second Time Around: Seventh Circuit Given First Opportunity to Analyze the Duty of Prudence Post Hughes

On August 29, 2022, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Seventh Circuit affirmed the dismissal of a 401(k) plan participant’s claims that plan fiduciaries mismanaged the $1.1 billion 401(k) plan and charged participants excessive fees.  This was the first time the Seventh Circuit interpreted the Supreme Court’s recent opinion in Hughes v. Northwestern University, […]

| 3 min read

What’s Old Is New Again: HHS Proposes to Reinstate and Expand Transgender Nondiscrimination Rules

Since it was enacted in 2010, Section 1557 of the Affordable Care Act (“Section 1557”) has prohibited discrimination in covered health programs and activities on the basis of race, color, national origin, age, disability, or sex.  As we have previously reported, the application of Section 1557 has proven controversial with several competing regulations and numerous […]

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IRS Extends Amendment Deadline for Certain Qualified Plan Amendments

The IRS recently provided some welcome relief in the form of extended amendment deadlines for sponsors of qualified retirement plans (including collectively bargained plans).  Notice 2022-33 extends the deadline for adopting amendments required by the Setting Every Community Up for Retirement Enhancement Act of 2019 (“SECURE Act”) and the Bipartisan American Miners Act of 2019 […]

| 1 min read | Tagged: , , , , , , ,
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Federal Agencies Issue Guidance After Dobbs Ruling

In response to the Supreme Court’s ruling in Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (“HHS”) Secretary Xavier Becerra directed HHS agencies to act within their power to protect the rights of patients seeking reproductive care and their providers.  Some of the significant guidance HHS agencies issued in […]

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Rethinking Reproductive Healthcare Benefits After Roe: Three Initial Benefits Questions for Employers to Consider

The U.S. Supreme Court released their final opinion in Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization on June 24, 2022.  Justice Alito’s opinion closely tracked the draft opinion that was leaked on May 2, 2022.  The opinion holds: “The Constitution does not confer a right to abortion; Roe and Casey are overruled; and the authority to […]

| 4 min read

A Running Start: IRS Pilots New Pre-Examination Program

The Employee Plans Office of the Internal Revenue Service (the “IRS”) announced a new pre-examination program for retirement plans to begin as of June 2022.  The pilot program is designed to reduce the amount of time and resources the IRS expends on plan audits, while affording plan sponsors the opportunity to identify and correct errors. […]

Group Health Plans Must Provide Free Over-the-Counter COVID-19 Tests Effective January 15, 2022

On January 10, 2022, the Departments of Labor, Health and Human Services, and Treasury (collectively the “Departments”) issued Affordable Care Act FAQs Part 51 which addresses, in relevant part, payment for over-the-counter (“OTC”) COVID-19 testing. Shortly after, on February 4, 2022, the Departments issued Affordable Care Act FAQs Part 52 which prospectively modifies the Direct Coverage Safe Harbor from […]

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