OSHA Suspends Enforcement of Vaccine Mandate
The fate of OSHA's COVID-19 mandate for large employers will ultimately be decided by the...
The Birch Blog
———Legislative Updates – August 3, 2021
California Safety Precautions As of August 2, 2021, the following counties have...
Legislative Updates – July 27, 2021
California Insurance Exams On July 23, 2021, Gov. Gavin Newsom signed CA S.B. 283, prohibiting...
New Federal FAQS Address The ACA Preventative Care Rules
Federal regulators recently released frequently asked questions (FAQ) guidance about how...
Legislative Updates – July 13, 2021
Arizona State Tax On July 9, 2021, Gov. Doug Ducey signed AZ S.B. 1783 establishing a...
National Prohibition on Surprise Bill Effective Starting January 1
On Thursday, July 1, 2021, the Department of Labor (DOL) issued interim final rules governing...
RECENT POSTS
COMPLIANCE ALERT – TOUGHER ENFORCEMENT OF THE CONTRACEPTION MANDATE ON THE HORIZON
On July 28, 2022, the Departments of Labor, Health and Human Services, and Treasury (the “Departments”) issued new FAQs clarifying their interpretation of the ACA’s requirement that non-grandfathered health plans provide contraception to participants at no cost. The...
FAQ: TRANSPORATION HEALTH REIMBURSEMENT ARRANGEMENT (HRA) FOR MEDICALLY-RELATED TRAVEL EXPENSES
In response to the significant amount of interest regarding HRAs that reimburse travel-related expenses in the wake of the recent Supreme Court ruling on Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization, Birch has prepared the following guide to address FAQs: What...
RECENT FEDERAL EFFORTS TO AFFIRM ACCESS TO REPRODUCTIVE HEALTHCARE SERVICES
In the wake of the Supreme Court’s decision in Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization, there have been two notable federal efforts to establish or reaffirm access to women’s reproductive healthcare services. First, the Departments of Health and Human Services,...
Compliance Alert – Implications of Abortion Decision for Employee Benefit Plans
On Friday, June 24th, the Supreme Court released its decision in Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization finding that the United States Constitution does not guarantee a right to abortion access. This decision effectively overturns its prior decisions in Roe v....
Compliance Alert – Employers Take Note: State Leave Laws May Provide Employees with Additional Rights
Most employers are aware of the federal Family and Medical Leave Act (FMLA), which provides for job protected leave in certain situations. FMLA applies only to employers with 50 or more employees and to employees who: Work at a location where at least 50 employees are...