BenefitsWire

“The principle of equal pay applies to all employers, even when pay is set through collective bargaining. This point is a helpful reminder that pay structures are not necessarily compliant with the Directive purely because they are based on collective bargaining agreements (CBAs). If these CBAs are not weighing jobs on the basis of the criteria put forward by the Directive and European case law (skills, effort, responsibility and working conditions), the company’s pay structures may still be called into question.” MORE >>

Source: National Law Review

“Compliance News | September 10, 2026 The Department of the Treasury and the IRS published proposed rules that would establish the first comprehensive framework for applying nondiscrimination testing applicable to dependent care assistance programs (DCAPs) since 1981, when DCAPs were established.” MORE >>

Source: Segal

“The DOL’s latest MHPAEA guidance gives plan sponsors a practical roadmap for where parity compliance reviews should focus next. Although the DOL has announced limited nonenforcement relief for certain portions of the 2024 Final Rule, the agency made clear that it continues to enforce MHPAEA’s core statutory requirements, including the obligation to prepare and maintain written NQTL comparative analyses. The key takeaway is to review written plan terms and operational practices for warning signs involving treatment exclusions, medical necessity, utilization management, and network adequacy, and to make sure service providers will provide support.” MORE >>

Source: Seyfarth (Beneficially Yours)

“The Trump administration today released guidelines on renewed enforcement efforts under the Mental Health Parity and Addiction Equity Act (MHPAEA), after halting enforcement of the law in 2025. The latest guidelines are not the administration’s revised parity law, but rather a framework for enforcement action and identifying red flags during the interim. A Sept. 8 bulletin from the Assistant Secretary for the Department of Labor’s Employee Benefits Security Administration (EBSA), Daniel Aronowitz, describes the agency’s intent to more substantially enforce the parity law’s nonquantitative treatment limitation (NQTL) requirements, which resulted from collective industry feedback. Oversight of” MORE >>

Source: bhbusiness.com

“Using the group commercial dataset within the Milliman Consolidated Healthcare Cost Guidelines Sources Database for calendar years 2022 to 2024, we examined whether pharmacologic treatment aligned with diagnosis status, and if HRT or a non-HRT alternative was used in treatment. We also compared comorbidity patterns between women with and without a clinical menopause diagnosis, and those who had received treatment versus those who did not. Key findings: Download the full paper (PDF).” MORE >>

Source: Milliman

“Oct. 2 - Distribute notice of Qualifying Small Employer Health Reimbursement Arrangement (QSEHRA) (For employers offering calendar year QSEHRAs) Applies to small employers (not subject to the ACA employer mandate) who sponsor a QSEHRA, in lieu of any other group medical coverage, that reimburses employees for individual market medical insurance premiums on a tax-free basis. The notice must be provided to each “eligible employee” regardless of enrollment status and must include the employee’s maximum HRA benefit for the year, among other information. The notice is due at least 90 days before the beginning of the new plan year.” MORE >>

Source: Lockton

[Litigation]

“For instance, in the second quarter of 2025, the most recent timeframe for which data is available, UnitedHealth Group received the results of 31 claims it initiated. While providers won only 32.3% of those cases, UnitedHealthcare won 67.7 % of those cases. However, other data show that providers prevail in about 80% of the tens of thousands of NSA disputes they have initiated. Data from Turquoise support the contention that providers file far more NSA claims than payers such as UnitedHealthcare.” MORE >>

Source: Hall Benefits Law

[Health & Welfare Plans]

“Ohio legislators introduced Senate Bill 396 this spring, which would establish a state paid family and medical leave (PFML) insurance program.” MORE >>

Source: Bricker Graydon

[Health & Welfare Plans]

“Source: Bullets generated by AI with editorial review. Lee joined the EBN team in 2022, and covers areas including caregiving, employee health and wellness, healthcare innovation, and company culture.” MORE >>

Source: Employee Benefit News