Contraceptives Coverage Under the ACA. We substantially updated this resource to address final regulations issued in July 2015 addressing the contraceptives coverage mandate under the Affordable Care Act (ACA). Among other issues, this resource now addresses which for-profit companies may seek an accommodation relating to the contraceptives mandate. We also updated our related Preventive Health Services Under the ACA, Other Than Contraceptives to reflect the July 2015 regulations (see also our update (July 2015), For-Profit Companies Eligible for Accommodation Under Final ACA Contraceptives Rules).

ERISA Litigation: Interference with Protected Rights (Section 510). This entirely new practice note addresses claims under Section 510 for retaliation and discrimination for exercising rights under an employee benefit plan and ERISA, and for interference with attaining benefits.

Expatriate Health Plans Under the ACA and EHCCA. This entirely new resource addresses compliance obligations for expatriate health plans and coverage under the ACA, the Expatriate Health Coverage Clarification Act of 2014 (EHCCA) and implementing regulations. Enacted in December 2014, EHCCA provided an exemption from many ACA requirements for expatriate health plans. For a discussion of related IRS guidance, see our update (July 2015), IRS Enforcement Guidance Addresses Expatriate Health Plans and the ACA. (See also the related article, Expatriate Coverage Under the ACA.)

Expert Q&A on Same-Sex Partner Benefits After the US Supreme Court's Obergefell Decision. This Expert Q&A article, with Todd A. Solomon and Jacob Mattinson of McDermott Will & Emery LLP, addresses implications for employers resulting from the Supreme Court's same-sex marriage ruling in Obergefell v. Hodges. We have also updated the related resource, Domestic Partner Health Benefits, to reflect the ruling. For more information, see our update (June 2015) on Obergefell, Supreme Court's Recognition of Same-Sex Marriage Raises Benefits and Employment Law Issues.

HIPAA Enforcement: Penalties and Investigations. We expanded this resource to address a recent settlement agreement under which a private physician practice was required to pay $750,000 following the unintended disclosure of electronic protected health information involving 55,000 individuals. For more information, see our update (September 2015), Stolen Laptop Bag Leads to $750,000 HIPAA Settlement.

HIPAA Privacy and Security: Individual Rights. This entirely new resource, part of our HIPAA Privacy, Security, and Breach Notification Toolkit, describes the rights that individuals have under HIPAA, which include the right to access designated record sets, to request an accounting of disclosures of protected health information and to request an alternate means of communication.

Information Reporting for Employers That Self-Insure and Insurers (Code Section 6055). We expanded this resource to address, among other issues, additional guidance regarding ACA information reporting and to discuss the impact of an exemption under EHCCA for Section 6055 information reporting purposes.

Recent Legislation Impacts COBRA, HSAs, Expatriate Plans, ACA Reporting Penalties and the Employer Mandate. Over the past months, various pieces of new legislation have impacted health and welfare plan administration, including the Trade Preferences Extension Act of 2015 and the Surface Transportation and Veterans Health Care Choice Improvement Act of 2015. This new resource addresses how these laws affect health and welfare plan compliance.

Start-Up Company Toolkit. This resource identifies key considerations for start-ups and growing businesses and gathers resource from several Practical Law services and practice areas, including employee benefit issues specific to health and welfare plans. These resources help start-up business owners and the counsel advising them navigate the legal complexities of the start-up world, from formation to financing, employee benefits to data privacy and many other areas of law.

Summaries of Benefits and Coverage Under the ACA. We substantially revised this resource to reflect final regulations issued in June 2015 (see the related update Final SBC Rules Apply Beginning in Fall 2015).

Temporary Staffing Firms and Interns Under the ACA's Employer Mandate. We expanded this resource to address ACA guidance addressing when large employers that employ student interns need to offer the interns coverage (or be subject to penalties under the employer mandate). Among other topics, this entirely new discussion addresses rules for unpaid internships and an exclusion for federal and state work-study programs.