Bukaty Blog

President Trump signed the No Surprises Act on December 27, 2020, as part of the Consolidated Appropriations Act of 2021. Sections of the new law will begin taking effect as early as January 1, 2022, and its main purpose serves to protect patients from unexpected medical bills. These new...

The U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) announced that the 2019 and 2020 EEO-1 Report submission period is from April 26 to July 19.

The Department of Labor’s (DOL) Wage and Hour Division (WHD) officially withdrew the rule regarding independent contractors and joint employment put forward by the Trump administration, citing that “the Rule is inconsistent with the FLSA’s text and purpose, and would have a confusing and...

Every year self-funded plan sponsors are subject to the Patient-Centered Outcomes Research (PCORI) fee. The fee per individual covered is $2.66 for plans ending after September 30, 2020, and before October 1,  2021. For plans years ending after Septembers 30, 2019 and before October 1, 2020 the...

Since the March 11 passage of the American Rescue Plan Act, employers have been scrambling to understand the requirements related to the COBRA premium subsidy available to assistance eligible individuals (AEIs). The subsidy also is available for AEIs enrolled in mini-COBRA or state continuation...

Following an eight-year class action antitrust legal battle, the Blue Cross Blue Shield (BCBS) Association and its affiliates agreed to a $2.67 billion settlement. The lawsuit charged that the various Association plans agreed not to compete with each other and to limit competition among...

Effective January 1, Missouri minimum wage increased from $9.45 to $10.30 per hour for all private, non-exempt businesses. This rate will continue to increase by $0.85 each year through 2023. This change will not apply to public employers or retail and service businesses with less than $500,000...

The Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) issued new workplace safety guidance to help prevent and manage the spread of COVID-19. The guidance emphasizes the importance of mask wearing, social distancing and risk mitigation. Employees and employers are encouraged to work together...

If the proposed EEOC wellness rules are accepted by the Biden administration, most wellness programs that make disability-related inquiries or require a medical examination may only offer a “de minimis” award in order to comply with the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) or Genetic...