Benefits and COVID - Where are We Now?
COVID 19 brought numerous challenges to employers and their employees. In addition to the virus itself, numerous mandates (for COVID testing and treatment) were passed requiring employer medical plans to adjust to meet those challenges. In addition, there was legislative and regulatory relief (such as for telemedicine) that made it easier for employer plans to meet the COVID challenges. This session will discuss those mandates and options and how employer plans need to adjust for 2022 and beyond.
Learning Objectives:
- Review of employer medical plan options and mandates for meeting the COVID-19 challenges including extended deadlines for COBRA and HIPAA special enrollments, COBRA subsidies (now expired), testing and treatment mandates, reporting obligations, cafeteria plan changes, and more. What was required and what was optional?
- Learn what compliance issues carry over into 2022 as well as new requirements and how group medical plans should address them.
- Best practices for 2022 with respect to ongoing and new COVID-19 issues or concerns - for example, using wellness plan options for various employer issues - what can and cannot be done in the context of an employer sponsored medical plan.
- Review some of the more compelling (or that have the broadest application) state and local mandates that employers need to consider with respect to their medical plans.
- How to structure employer medical plans to assist with new challenges that employers and their employees may face as we move to new stages in the pandemic.
In-person session offerings are on a first-come, first-served basis.
Jay M. Kirschbaum
Jay has more than 30 years of experience as a tax attorney specializing in employee benefits. Prior to joining World, Jay was a Sr. VP and Senior ERISA Attorney with Lockton was previously the national practice leader for the legal and research team at WT.W
Jay served as a Peace Corps volunteer and business consultant from 1979 to 1982.
He has an LL.M. in taxation from New York University School of Law, J.D. with distinction from the University of Arizona College of Law and a BSBA from Washington University in St. Louis. Jay is the former Chair of the American Benefits Council, an adjunct professor of employee benefits in the LL.M. program at Washington University School of Law.