Regulation

As employers are well aware, the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act requires that all plans that renew or have plan years that begin on or after Sept. 23, 2010 cover certain preventive care services with no member cost-sharing, with an exception for grandfathered plans.

Agent and broker organizations work behind the scenes to find the best outcome after the NAIC recommends that commissions remain administrative costs.

First and foremost, the entire staff here at EBA wishes you a relaxing and joyful holiday season, and a very Merry Christmas. We thank you for sticking with us throughout 2010 (you are our customers, if you didn't realize it), and we wish you a happy and prosperous New Year in 2011.

The Department of Labor’s Employee Benefits Security Administration issued a proposed rule aimed at providing participants in retirement plans with more information on how target-date funds operate.

The Department of Health and Human Services has released an interim final rule to implement medical loss ratio requirements for health insurers under the Accountable Care Act.

The Equal Employment Opportunity Commission recently released final regulations implementing Title II of the Genetic Information Nondiscrimination Act of 2008 (GINA). Although GINA was effective Nov. 21, 2009, these regulations do not take effect until Jan. 10, 2011.

Public comments forced regulators to amend the grandfathered-status rule under the health law, so employers with group health plans can switch to health insurers that provide similar coverage at a lower cost without losing their grandfathered status.

In the past, unless a 403(b) program (or plan) was subject to the Employee Retirement Income Security Act of 1974, it had no documentation requirements and, even if subject to ERISA, very few reporting obligations.

The controversy over discrimination in employment based on appearance is heating up again. Newsweek recently reported that 57% of hiring managers said qualified but unattractive candidates will have a harder time landing a job.

The Department of Health and Human Services and Federal Trade Commission will hold a day-long roundtable discussion, which will also be accessible via a live Web cast, to solicit industry input on privacy and security requirements for personal health records and related service providers.