EMPLOYEE RETIREMENT INCOME SECURITY ACT (ERISA)

Bills and resolutions

Dept. of Labor: provide a fiduciary safe harbor for the selection of a lifetime income provider under ERISA (see H.R. 1439), H2312 [28FE]

Health: protect patients from surprise medical bills (see S. 1266), S2569 [1MY] (see H.R. 4223), H7528 [30AU]

Insurance: codify certain rules on short-term, limited-duration and association health plans to allow small businesses and self-employed workers to band together to purchase affordable health insurance (see H.R. 4484), H7988 [25SE]

——— ensure common medications, devices, and screenings used to treat chronic conditions are covered without out-of-pocket costs (see H.R. 4457), H7900 [24SE]

——— require a group health plan to provide an exceptions process for any medication step therapy protocol (see S. 2546), S5706 [25SE] (see H.R. 2279), H3255 [10AP]

——— require group and individual health insurance coverage for treatment of a congenital anomaly or birth defect (see S. 560), S1492 [26FE] (see H.R. 1379), H2233 [26FE]

——— require health insurers to include information about the nearest in-network hospital or urgent care facility on insurance cards (see H.R. 5192), H9120 [20NO]

——— require those offering group or individual health insurance coverage to establish a process to address inaccurate information listed in publicly accessible provider directories (see H.R. 4575), H8080 [27SE]

Investments: require 401(k) plan sponsors to inform participants of projected monthly income expected at retirement based on current account balances (see S. 1574), S3005 [21MY] (see H.R. 2367), H3283 [25AP]

Mental health: strengthen parity in mental health and substance use disorder benefits (see H.R. 2848), H4009 [20MY]

Pensions: make participant votes binding on suspension of benefits under multiemployer plans in critical and declining status and count only votes that are returned (see S. 833), S1899 [14MR]

——— modify certain laws relative to multiemployer pensions (see S. 1011), S2240 [3AP]

——— modify rules relative to multiple employer plans and pooled employer plans and modify Pension Benefit Guaranty Corp., premiums for cooperative and small employer charity (CSEC) plans (see H.R. 1993), H2923 [29MR]

——— protect pensions in bankruptcy proceedings (see S. 2737), S6299 [30OC]

——— provide alternative minimum funding rules for certain single-employer benefit plans maintained by community newspapers (see H.R. 1916), H2884 [27MR]

——— provide greater spousal protection under defined contribution plans, expand access to retirement savings, and increase financial literacy (see S. 975), S2118 [1AP] (see H.R. 2005), H2937 [1AP]

——— simplify and reduce costs for small businesses to join together in business associations to establish association retirement and other multiple employer pension benefit plans (see S. 1927), S4168 [20JN]

Small business: establish additional criteria for determining when employers may join together in a group or association of employers that will be treated as an employer for purposes of sponsoring a group health plan (see S. 1170), S2433 [11AP] (see H.R. 2294), H3263 [12AP]

——— reduce duplicative filing costs for small businesses looking to offer retirement plans to their employees and sole-proprietors (see S. 354), S919 [6FE] (see H.R. 982), H1362 [5FE]

Remarks in House

Dept. of Labor: provide a fiduciary safe harbor for the selection of a lifetime income provider under ERISA, H4141 [23MY]

Health: protect patients from surprise medical bills (H.R. 4223), H7587 [10SE]

Insurance: codify certain rules on short-term, limited-duration and association health plans to allow small businesses and self-employed workers to band together to purchase affordable health insurance (H.R. 4484), H7913 [25SE], H8042 [26SE]

——— require group and individual health insurance coverage for treatment of a congenital anomaly or birth defect (H.R. 1379), H2111 [26FE]

Remarks in Senate

Health: protect patients from surprise medical bills, S5685 [25SE]

Medicare: establish Universal Medicare Program to provide comprehensive health insurance coverage for all U.S. residents, S896 [6FE]

Pensions: modify certain laws relative to multiemployer pensions, S3329 [12JN], S6696–S6698 [20NO]

——— protect multiemployer pension plan benefits, S5780–S5784 [15OC]

——— protect pensions in bankruptcy proceedings (S. 2737), S6380–S6382 [5NO]

Small business: establish additional criteria for determining when employers may join together in a group or association of employers that will be treated as an employer for purposes of sponsoring a group health plan (S. 1170), S2438 [11AP]