January 27, 2022
Supreme Court Strikes Down OSHA’s Vaccine ETS: An Employer’s Six-Step Priority List
Jan. 14. 2022 Read time: 5 minutes The Supreme Court just blocked the U.S. Occupational Safety and Health Administration’s (OSHA’s) vaccine Emergency Temporary Standard (ETS) from being enforced for the foreseeable future, meaning your compliance to-do list has gotten significantly shorter – ...
January 12, 2022
Advocacy in Action | Help with Hospital Bill
A member received a very large bill from the hospital. The hospital was asking for a payment of over $39,000. The member was very concerned and contacted The Purple Card® to seek help in determining the amount truly owed and what should be paid to the hospital. The Patient Advocate checked into ...
January 11, 2022
Group Health Plans, Insurers Must Cover At-Home COVID-19 Tests
The Departments of Labor, Health and Human Services (HHS), and the Treasury (collectively, the Departments) issued Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) Monday that generally require group health plans and insurers to cover the costs of at-home over-the-counter COVID-19 tests (OTC COVID-19 Tests) ...
January 6, 2022
Compliance Recap | December 2021
December was a quiet month in the compliance world in terms of large announcements, but lots of little information trickled in over the month. OSHA’s vaccine-or-test mandate for large employers and vaccine mandate for health care organizations is headed for the Supreme Court, set to be heard on ...
January 6, 2022
DOL Announces Good Faith Enforcement Standard, Provides Guidance on Compensation Disclosures
The Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2021 (CAA) amended Section 408(b)(2) of the Employee Retirement Income Security Act (ERISA) to require service providers (including brokers) to disclose direct and indirect compensation to group health plan fiduciaries. Field Assistance Bulletin No. 2021-03 ...
December 28, 2021
Tiny Habits: How Lowering Your Expectations Can Lead to Change
The New Year is right around the corner. Many take this opportunity to set a big, hairy goal to work on their health, professional development, or relationships. These goals can look like losing 20 pounds by year end or read 3 new books a month. This renewed commitment to a goal is why gyms ...
December 22, 2021
Advocacy in Action | Unexpected Bill
A member received a bill from the lab for $2,152.89. The member did not understand why he was receiving the bill and mentioned the issue to his co-worker. His co-worker mentioned her Patient Advocate had helped her resolve a similar issue. The member called his Patient Advocate about the lab ...
December 21, 2021
How To Responsibly Recruit for “Cultural Fit”
Your first candidate interview of the day just flew by and you didn’t even pick up your pen. You have so much in common with the candidate that you chatted effortlessly. You both have two daughters, a love for hockey and you both grew up in a small Midwest town. You leave the interview ...
December 21, 2021
Sixth Circuit Lifts Stay of OSHA Emergency Vaccine Mandate for Large Employers
On late Friday December 17, 2021, a three-judge panel from the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit reinstated the Biden administration’s vaccine-or-test mandate for large employers, lifting the Fifth Circuit’s earlier stay of the Occupational Safety and Health Administration’s (OSHA’s) ...
December 14, 2021
Delegation: Turn Task Management into a Teaching Moment
In theory, delegation sounds amazing. Do you want to pass off work to someone else so you have more time for other projects? Yes, of course you do. In practice, delegation is more complicated. It involves giving up control, something that may feel difficult for a new manager or someone with ...
