President Continues COVID Extensions
“President Biden has extended the COVID-19
National Emergency, which was declared on
March 13, 2020, and was scheduled to end March 1,
2022. This latest extension of the National
Emergency is expected to last for at least one year.
Extending the National Emergency also extends
temporary delays of certain deadlines applicable to
group health plans.”
The beloved groundhog Punxsutawney Phil has predicted the remaining duration of winter. While the prediction isn’t what most hoped for, six more weeks of winter weather, we are moving closer to spring every day. While we steadily progress towards longer days and better weather, many employers are navigating a competitive talent landscape and creating short-term and long-term staffing plans to meet their business needs.
One strategy employers can use to meet some of their workplace staffing needs and build a future pipeline of talented workers is to establish summer internship programs. These programs can benefit both employers and interns if conducted properly, a true win-win.
The Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2021 (CAA), enacted in December 2020, amended the Mental Health Parity and Addiction Equity Act of 2008 (MPHAEA) to require employers that sponsor self-funded group health plans that cover mental health or substance use disorder benefits to perform a “comparative analysis” of any non-quantitative treatment limitations (NQTLs) effective February 10, 2021. All group health plans are subject to the CAA.
Fully insured plans, however, have relief from this requirement as the insurance carrier has the obligation to perform the comparative analysis, not the employer.