On March 30, 2023, the District Court for the Northern District of Texas issued an opinion and order in Braidwood Mgmt. Inc. v. Becerra that vacates the implementation and enforcement of certain preventive service provisions required by the Affordable Care Act ("ACA") ("March 2023 Opinion").

The U.S. District Court for the District of Maine recently dismissed two separate suits alleging that health plans' coverage exclusion for weight loss drugs constitutes...

On April 25, 2024, the U.S. Department of Labor ("DOL") published its much-anticipated final regulation on the definition of "fiduciary" under section 3(21)(a)(ii)...

The Department of Labor's Employee Benefits Security Administration has issued new enforcement guidance that fundamentally reshapes how the agency will conduct investigations and pursue violations.

On December 19, 2023, the Department of Labor ("DOL") issued a proposed rule rescinding a Trump Administration rule that expanded...

Generally, a defined benefit plan provides an accrued benefit commencing at a participant's Normal Retirement Date that pays a flat benefit over the lifetime...

In 2013, the IRS began accepting prototype and volume submitter 403(b) plans (now referred to collectively as "pre-approved" plans) in the first-ever 403(b) remedial amendment submission cycle ("Cycle 1").

Last year, the IRS issued its long-anticipated final (and newly proposed) regulations to address SECURE 1.0 and 2.0 Act changes to the required minimum distribution ("RMD") rules...

There is a growing interest from the retirement industry and policymakers to modernize 401(k) and other defined contribution ("DC") plan investments by incorporating alternative asset classes and lifetime income features.

Ever since the Occupational Safety and Health Administration ("OSHA") published its Emergency Temporary Standard ("ETS") regarding the COVID-19 vaccine or test requirement, ...

On August 19, 2024, the Internal Revenue Service ("IRS") issued Notice 2024-63 (the "Notice") for retirement plan sponsors that provide, or may wish to provide...

The Department of Labor (the "Department") issued a proposed rule, in which it proposed narrow amendments to its electronic disclosure safe harbors to implement the statutory directive in Section 338 of SECURE 2.0.

A federal district court ruled that CMS exceeded its statutory authority in calculating Medicare Advantage Star Ratings measures, potentially affecting how quality bonus payments are determined across the industry. Following the decision, CMS voluntarily recalculated ratings for all Medicare Advantage Organizations using only authorized data sources, marking a significant shift in how plan performance is evaluated and compensated.

The Treasury Department and IRS have issued proposed regulations updating minimum funding rules for single-employer defined benefit pension plans under Internal Revenue Code section 430. These regulations implement statutory changes from WRERA, the SECURE Act, and SECURE 2.0 while addressing technical issues that have emerged since the existing regulations were established.

On December 2, 2021, President Biden announced new actions to combat COVID-19, given the emergence of the new Omicron variant.

Plans, TPAs, insurers, and COBRA administrators may have to reconsider their administrative practices in light of this new direction.

Regulatory and legislative developments continue to accelerate around investments incorporating environmental, social, and governance factors into retirement plans.

On March 3, 2026, a federal district court in Minnesota dismissed a lawsuit alleging that an employer imprudently managed its self-funded health plan's prescription drug benefit...

On July 19, 2025, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit in Aldridge v. Regions Bank, No. 22-5020, adopted the Fourth Circuit's reasoning in Rose v. PSA Airlines, Inc., 80...

On March 9, 2022, President Biden issued the highly-anticipated Executive Order on Ensuring Responsible Development of Digital Assets ("Executive Order").