March 1, 2021
Mandatory Coverage of COVID-19 Vaccines under Group Health Plans
3/5/2021 Update: ACIP recommended the Janssen (Johnson & Johnson) vaccine. On December 11, 2020, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) issued an Emergency Use Authorization for the Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine (Pfizer vaccine). The following day, December 12, 2020, the Centers for ...
February 20, 2021
Leading through Burnout
The World Health Organization (WHO) expanded its definition of burnout as an “occupational phenomenon,” giving credence to a set of conditions that many have experienced but not been able to name. According to WHO, burnout is characterized by “feelings of energy depletion or exhaustion; ...
February 20, 2021
Mentoring Program Mishaps: Avoid These Common Pitfalls
Influential business leaders often thank mentors for support in reaching their goals. Sheryl Sandburg credits Ariana Huffington. Mark Zuckerberg was mentored by Apple’s Steve Jobs. In a 2019 study conducted by Olivet Nazarene University, 76% of participants agreed that professional mentorship ...
February 20, 2021
The Ketchup Question: Building Diverse Teams
“It’s the right thing to do.” This simple conclusion was an early driver for HR professionals and hiring managers to add diversity initiatives to their recruitment strategies. Next came a slightly more nuanced line of reasoning – research study data showed a correlation between diverse employee ...
February 20, 2021
Does Your Company Have the Potential to Go Remote Permanently?
Last March, many employees were sent home to work remotely for a few weeks until this “pesky” coronavirus (COVID-19) resolved itself. Almost a year has passed, and many employees are still working from home. Companies are evaluating the costs of continuing to hold onto office real estate while ...
February 20, 2021
Consolidated Appropriations Act 2021 | Part 5: Advance EOB, Patient/Consumer Protections, and Reporting
On December 27, 2020, former President Trump signed the Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2021 (Appropriations Act). The Appropriations Act amends Title XXVII of the Public Health Service Act (PHSA), Part 7 of Title I of the Employee Retirement Income Security Act of 1974 (ERISA), and Chapter ...
February 20, 2021
Compliance Recap | January 2021
January was a busy month in the employee benefits world. President Biden issued a memorandum putting a regulatory freeze on new rules. President Biden also issued an executive order on strengthening Medicaid and the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (ACA). The Department of Labor (DOL) ...
February 20, 2021
Consolidated Appropriations Act 2021 | Part 4: Mental Health and Substance Use Disorder Benefits Parity
The Consolidated Appropriation Act, 2021 (Appropriations Act) signed into law on December 27, 2020, includes several provisions requiring that group health plans and health insurance insurers provide comparative analysis regarding utilization and compliance with the Paul Wellstone and Pete ...
February 10, 2021
Advocacy in Action | Dentist Billing Refund
A member knew that something wasn’t right with how her dentist was billing. She thought she was due a refund but her provider would not give it to her and she needed help…Purple Card help! Her patient advocate reviewed her bills, her explanation of benefits and stayed in communication with her ...
January 21, 2021
Final 2022 Benefit Payment and Parameters Rule
The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) has released a final rule along with a fact sheet and press release for benefit payment and parameters for 2022. According to CMS, the proposed 2022 benefit payment and parameters rule intended to reduce fiscal and regulatory burdens ...
