Insights

Recently, Gov. Beshear signed several healthcare bills into law. HB 148 allows an insured to make a written assignment of substance abuse or mental health treatment benefits to a facility providing such services. Insurers may require the facility to, amongst other items, furnish information to an insured, including a statement if the facility is an out-of-network provider and that the facility may charge the insured for services not covered under the insurance contract, a schedule of applicable

Yes, employer-provided group term life insurance (GTLI) is subject to nondiscrimination rules under Section 79 of the Internal Revenue Code. Section 79 allows for the value of up to $50,000 of GTLI coverage on an employee’s life to be excluded from the employee’s gross income. However, certain nondiscrimination requirements must be satisfied in order for all employees to benefit from the $50,000 coverage tax exclusion. At a high level, the nondiscrimination rules provide that employer-provided

On July 26, the SEC released new rules requiring registered companies to “disclose material cybersecurity incidents they experience and to disclose on an annual basis material information regarding their cybersecurity risk management, strategy and governance.”  These major new rules for SEC-registered companies go into effect December 1, 2023. Review the SEC press release and fact sheet. Notable Requirements The new rules require public companies to: Disclose material cybersecurity breach

Theft of tools, equipment, vehicles and materials from the jobsite can be a very painful experience for all construction stakeholders. This pain is further exacerbated by the current supply chain issues in the overall economy and the inflationary pressure brought on by the supply chain crisis. Further, it appears that theft is on the rise in the North American economy, brought on by several factors, including growing economic hardship, rising cost of goods and lack of supply chain efficiency. T

Last month’s SHRM Annual Conference & Expo (SHRM23) took place in Las Vegas, Nevada, with more than 20,000 HR professionals, executives and students participating. With hundreds of speakers touching on the latest trends in HR, including keynotes from President Bill Clinton and famous author, journalist and philanthropist Mitch Album, the theme of SHRM23 was Drive Change — a call for HR to move the needle and exact meaningful change within their respective organizations. As with all initiati

Nevada recently passed a law, Assembly Bill 398, that will prohibit insurers from issuing “liability policies” containing provisions that reduce the limit of liability by costs of defense (i.e., defense within limits or DWL provisions). The law is set to become effective on October 1, 2023. The bill's broad language and legislative history suggest that a wide range of policies may be affected by the Defense Inside the Limits prohibition. The Department of Insurance expects that the legislation

On July 11, 2023, Maine enacted its statutory paid family and medical leave (PFML) program, joining 14 other states and Washington, DC, to establish a PFML program. Maine’s PFML program applies to all employers who have at least one employee working in Maine (except the federal government). The payroll withholding of the employees' contributions is scheduled to begin on January 1, 2025, and according to the state’s PFML website, the benefits will be available to eligible employees starting May

On July 14, 2023, Commissioner Mulready issued Bulletin No. 4-2023, advising issuers of new requirements imposed by new statutes that are effective on November 1, 2023, (HB 1736 and HB 2748) and on January 1, 2024, (SB 513). These requirements apply to all health plans regulated by the state. HB 1736 requires health benefit plans that require step therapy protocol for treatment of CRF-COPD to provide a clear and transparent process (readily available on the insurer’s website) by which insureds

On July 25, 2023, the DOL, HHS, and IRS (the departments) announced proposed rules under MHPAEA aimed at ensuring that people seeking coverage for mental health and substance use disorders can access treatment as easily as people seeking coverage for medical treatments. MHPAEA Compliance and NQTLs Enacted in 2008, MHPAEA applies to group health plans and insurers that cover mental health/substance use disorder (MH/SUD) benefits. Self-insured plans sponsored by small employers (50 or fewer emplo