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The final regulations implementing the Paul Wellstone and Pete Domenici Mental Health Parity and Addiction Equity Act of 2008 will become effective January 13. The Act requires group health plans that offer mental health or substance use disorder benefits to ensure that those benefits are equivalent to the medical and surgical benefits offered by the […]
by Paul M. Saito Governor Neil Abercrombie has signed into law the Hawaii Marriage Equality Act of 2013, which defines marriage in Hawaii as between “individuals without regard to gender.” Hawaii is the 15th state to give same-sex couples the right to marry. The law goes into effect December 2. A special session of the […]
In apologizing for the failed launch of the healthcare.gov website, U.S. Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius conceded to a House committee panel that accessing the site has been a “miserably frustrating experience for way too many Americans.” She expressed frustration regarding the flawed launch of the site, to be used to purchase affordable […]
by Charles S. Plumb Effective November 1, 2013, two Oklahoma statutes governing how an employer addresses tobacco use in its workplace or by its employees will be revised. Under the new 21 Okla. Stat. § 1247, lighted tobacco products in any form are prohibited in indoor workplaces. With a few exceptions, this prohibition includes work […]
With the DOMA ban on same-sex marriage being ruled unconstitutional, what does this mean for healthcare benefits—will a same-sex marriage be recognized in the same way as other marriages, thus allowing the same-sex partner to receive spousal healthcare benefits paid for at the pre-tax rate? This is just one of the many questions employers are […]
With the DOMA ruling so recent in our minds, employers have more unanswered employee benefits questions than ever before. Is it now illegal to tax healthcare benefits for a same-sex spouse? How should multi-state employers react if the final ruling comes down that only same-sex couples who reside in a state that recognizes same-sex marriages […]
A recent federal appeals court decision serves as a reminder that communicating with employees about their options for benefits calculation methods in defined benefit retirement plans is a very important aspect of preparing them adequately for retirement. Some DB plans offer more than one way to accumulate assets, and allow participants to choose the method […]
United Parcel Service plans to remove thousands of spouses from its health plan because they are eligible for coverage elsewhere. The health care reform law requires large employers to offer coverage to employees and their dependents, but it does not require companies to cover spouses. Some 15,000 working spouses eligible for coverage at their own […]
Employers still have to contend with plenty of uncertainty regarding employees’ same-gender spouses, regardless of the U.S. Supreme Court ruling in U.S. v. Windsor (No. 12-307, June 26, 2013). That decision may have declared Section 3 of the federal Defense of Marriage Act unconstitutional, but it was a narrow ruling that left divergent state laws […]
"In Canada, the government provides minimum protection to Canadians that find themselves in certain circumstances, such as when they're ill, unemployed, on maternity leave or parental leave, or even retired. However . . . government plans are often insufficient and therefore they will be supplemented by private plans that are offered by employers." Emilie Paquin-Holmested […]