New HIPAA Regulations Require Action by Group Health Plans

by Amy M. Gordon and Jamie A. Weyeneth Final HIPAA privacy and security regulations issued by the U.S. Department of Health and Human services will require action by group health plan sponsors by September...
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IRS Issues 403(b) Plan Fix-It Guide

by Mary K. Samsa, Todd A. Solomon and Joseph K. Urwitz On February 21, 2013, the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) added to its “self-help” resources a new “403(b) Plan Fix-It Guide”...
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Finalized ACA Regulations on Transitional Reinsurance Program Premiums and Potential Effects for Employer-Sponsored Group Health Plans

by Amy M. Gordon, Susan M. Nash and Jacob Mattinson As part of the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) recently released final regulations...
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OCR Issues Final Modifications to the HIPAA Privacy, Security, Breach Notification and Enforcement Rules to Implement the HITECH Act

by Bernadette Broccolo, Daniel F. Gottlieb, Jennifer S. Geetter, Ryan S. Higgins, Amy Hooper Kearbey and Edward G. Zacharias The Office for Civil Rights of the U.S. Department of Health and Human...
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FTC Recommends Privacy Practices for Mobile Apps

by Daniel F Gottlieb, Heather Egan Sussman and Randall J. Ortman A new Federal Trade Commission report urges mobile app platforms and developers to better inform consumers about their privacy practices....
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Staying the Course: HHS Finalizes the Essential Health Benefits Regulations for 2014

by Amy M. Gordon, Anne W. Hance and Susan M. Nash The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) Essential Health Benefits Final Rule and actuarial value regulations offer few surprises and much...
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Revisions to Labour Contract Law Address Employee Dispatch Issues, Company Employment Models

by John Z.L. Huang and May Lu The People’s Republic of China recently released revisions to its Labour Contract Law that will affect agencies that dispatch employees, dispatched employees’...
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IRS Releases Draft Revised Form 5300 and Instructions

by Anne S. Becker, Natalie M. Nathanson and Brian A. Benko The Internal Revenue Service (IRS) recently released a draft revised Form 5300 and its instructions.  Form 5300, the Application for...
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DOL Audit Letters Requesting Proof of Compliance with Health Care Reform Requirements

by Susan M. Nash, Mary K. Samsa and Maggie McTigue The U.S. Department of Labor (DOL) audits already evaluate a company’s compliance on a spectrum of laws, statutes and regulations.  However,...
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Second Circuit Narrows ERISA Exhaustion Requirement When Plan Document Is Ambiguous on Need to Follow Claims Procedures

by Michael T. Graham, Elizabeth A. Savard and Patrick D. Ryan The U.S. Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit’s holding in Kirkendall v. Halliburton, Inc. reaffirms that a benefit plan’s claims...
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