It’s summertime at the Bar! Ed is joined this month by co-host Abbey Hendricks to discuss all the particulars of the Reconciliation bill and its effect on employee benefits, including changes to Medicaid, Health Savings Accounts, paid family and medical leave, student loans and more. Then at Last Call, Ed celebrates a very special 60th birthday (or two).
Welcome back to the Bar! This month, Ed and JD continue to discuss the budget reconciliation bill, also known as the One Big Beautiful Bill Act. The guys look into their crystal ball to see what they think might be in or out as the final bill begins to take shape. And in Last Call, JD bids us all a fond farewell as he rides off into the sunset. From all of us at the Bar, we say “Don’t cry because it’s over…laugh because we stuck someone else with the bar tab.” Good luck, JD, we’ll miss you!
Welcome back to the Bar! This month, JD and Ed break down the flurry of activity coming from Washington DC on both the legislative and executive front. The “One Big Beautiful Bill Act” has provisions that employer group health plans will find interesting, and two executive orders pertaining to prescription medication pricing have been issued. And in Last Call, JD remembers everyone’s favorite bar patron, accountant and one-liner machine George Wendt.
Welcome back to The Bar, under (partial) new management! In this month’s episode, we welcome our new co-host, Ed Doherty, who is mixing up a happy hour’s worth of employer group health plan analysis. JD and Ed discuss the basics of two court cases, Lewandowski v Johnson and Johnson and Stern v JP Morgan Chase and Co. that have to do with a group health plans and their fiduciary duty to their members. Ed breaks down why one case was tossed out and the other remains. And in Last Call, JD challenge...
It’s nearly Spring at the Bar! The Bar is a smoke-free environment, but JD and Kerri are keeping an eye on a lawsuit involving tobacco surcharges that employer group health plans charge, and the rules they have to follow. Then we have an update on some of the new regulations coming from the Trump administration about open enrollment on the ACA exchanges. And in a Last Call we never wanted to hear, JD bids a fond farewell to Kerri. Best of luck Kerri, come back and visit The Bar any time!
Welcome back to the Bar! It’s cold outside, so we’re keeping warm by staying up to date on the latest from the courts and the White House. Kerri and JD discuss the outcome of Lewandowski v. Johnson and Johnson et al., a case about pharmacy benefit managers and ERISA. They also discuss the newest executive order from the White House, this one on IVF. And in Last Call, well, let’s just say JD had an egg-cellent idea.
Happy New Year from the Bar! Just before the holidays, Congress was poised to pass a government funding bill that had some long ranging effects on employer group health plans. That bill didn’t make it, but the one that passed still had some tangible effects. JD and Kerri discuss the effects of what Congress did, and what they didn’t do. Also, some updates on cases making their way through the courts to keep an eye on in 2025. And in Last Call, a delayed tribute to all those that help us bring th...
Welcome back to a jam-packed conversation at The Bar! From navigator funding for the ACA to reproductive health care, the election of 2024 will likely have wide ranging effects on employer group health plans. Join us as JD and Kerri break down how high risk pools, Medicaid reform, and even the Comstock Act might be part of the conversation over the next four years. Also, what do the new administration’s Cabinet picks mean for health care? And what about prescription drug prices? In Last Call, JD...
It's election season at The Bar! We're hanging our red, white and blue bunting and the Uncle Sam hats have never been taller. Join J.D. and Kerri for this important discussion of how the outcome of the 2024 election might affect employer group health plans. And in Last Call, JD salutes the unsung heroes of democracy who make the election happen.
See Kerri's tribute cake here: https://www.linkedin.com/posts/activity-7236313227150708736-BCAL
Welcome back to the Bar, where Kerri and J.D. are having a farewell toast to the administrative law concept of “Chevron deference.” The reversal of this decades-old precedent could have long ranging effects on employer group health plans, so we discuss the implications and what comes next. In Last Call, J.D. pays tribute to the anniversary of the Apollo 11 moon landing.
Summer is in full swing at the Bar, but the courts aren’t quite done for the term yet. This month, Kerri and JD cover two cases that will affect employer group health plans. The first is Food and Drug Administration v Alliance for Hippocratic Medicine, where the Supreme Court ruled that mifepristone could remain on the market. Also, we break down a narrow ruling in the appellate court in Braidwood v Becerra, a case about preventative care in the ACA. And in Last Call, JD and Kerri pay tribute to...
It’s summertime at the Bar, and that means one thing: new regulations! HHS has issued some new HIPAA rules around reproductive healthcare. JD and Kerri break down what’s new. Also, there are some new non-discrimination regulations from the ACA around gender identity and sexual orientation. And during last call, JD channels his inner restaurant critic to discuss, what else, the 2024 Olympics.
The Bar is open and back on the road! Join JD and Kerri at the Albuquerque Health Forum, where we kick off election season, and give an update on a handful of issues, including the prospect of new Pharmacy Benefit Manager legislation, mental health parity rules, and healthcare fiduciary lawsuits. There’s also an update on ERISA, or as we at the Bar call it, the Full Employment for Benefit Lawyers Act. In Last Call, Kerri has a basketball-related dilemma.
Happy spring from your friends at the Bar! The recent Alabama Supreme Court ruling that frozen embryos are children has employers taking a second look at their family building benefits. Kerri and JD break down the ripple effects of this unanticipated change. And in Last Call, JD highlights the importance of staying in good shape over the holidays.
Welcome back, the Bar is open! This month, JD and Kerri discuss how two cases before the Supreme Court, Loper Bright Enterprises v. Raimondo and Relentless, Inc. v. Department of Commerce, may spell the end of Chevron deference, which would have a massive impact on how healthcare policy is administered. And in Last Call, J.D. eulogizes a fellow Fordham alum, Charles Osgood.
Happy Holidays from your friends at the Bar! Forget wrapping up 2023, we’re on to 2024! J.D. and Kerri look into the crystal ball to see what we’re likely to be talking about next year, including the Supreme Court taking up a mifepristone case, pharmacy benefit manager reform and price transparency in Congress, and fiduciary litigation for healthcare plans. And in Last Call, J.D. and Kerri name The Bar’s Person of the Year.
The Bar on Healthcare – November 2023: The ACA and Employer Sponsored Plans Welcome back to the Bar! This month, J.D. and Kerri widen the lens to take a look at how healthcare coverage purchased through the ACA exchanges has affected employer sponsored plans. We also discuss changes to the Medicare trust fund. And in Last Call, J.D. eschews sports references for a story about a library book that was due during Prohibition.
Happy Halloween from the Bar! This month, J.D. and Kerri bring you a different perspective on the proposed mental health parity regulations. Employers are weighing in, and they’ve got questions, including what qualifies as an NQTL, telehealth, and when these regulations might take effect. And in Last Call, J.D. is looking forward to the World Series.
The Bar takes one last summer road trip, this time visiting the nation’s capital to discuss the new mental health parity regulations. What do the new proposed regulations mean for employer group health plans, what are the compliance requirements, and what should plan sponsors expect in the coming months? We also discuss state pharmacy benefit manager reform, and the dreaded ERISA pre-emption. Finally, in Last Call, J.D. is ready for some football.
The Bar on Healthcare –August 2023: Mental Health Parity We’re in the dog days of summer (sorry, service animals only allowed in the Bar). This month, J.D. and Kerri go deep on the new mental health parity regulations, plus an update on the mifepristone case and an update on ERISA pre-emption. And during last call, J.D. conjures the power of the Netflix algorithm to recommend the unexpected hit of the summer.
The heat wave hasn’t slowed us down at The Bar—this month, J.D. and Kerri discuss the new regulations hot off the presses from Treasury, Labor and HHS! How “short” and “limited” is short term limited duration insurance? How will the IRS tax payments from employer-paid fixed indemnity policies? And what’s up with the new Mental Health Parity rules? And in Last Call, J.D. and Kerri channel their inner Siskel & Ebert and tout the return of the summer blockbusters!
It’s summertime at the Bar, and while normally that means drinks with little umbrellas in them, this summer it means looking back at a consequential Supreme Court case, and the effect it has had on group health plans at both a federal and state level over the past 12 months. J.D. and Kerri also revisit ERISA pre-emption, the Braidwood case and the end of the COVID-19 pandemic era emergencies. In Last Call, J.D. gives us his July 4th weekend streaming picks.
The City of Brotherly Love welcomes you to the Bar! This month, J.D. and Kerri give an update on a handful of topics affecting employer group health plans, including an update on what’s going both in the states and federally with pharmacy benefit managers (PBMs), the Washington state long term care mandate, and updates on some important litigation working its way through the courts. And in Last Call, J.D. salutes Philadelphia and probably jinxes their basketball team.
The Bar is open and we’re back on the road, coming to you from Aon’s annual Albuquerque Health Forum. In a jam-packed episode, Kerri and J.D. discuss the latest from Congress, an update on the end of the COVID-19 Public Health Emergency and National Emergency. They also have a litigation update, from the fight over mifepristone to the Braidwood preventative medicine case. And in Last Call, J.D. salutes Albuquerque – it’s difficult to spell but easy to love.
Spring has sprung at the Bar! Kerri and J.D. give an update on the states and their attempts to regulate pharmacy benefit managers. They also discuss how both Congress and ERISA preemption may play a role and the future of ERISA pre-emption itself. In Last Call, with baseball on the way, J.D. looks forward to a new day at the old ballgame.
The Bar is open, and we’re on the road! This month’s episode was recorded live at the 2023 Carolinas Hospital Roundtable. JD and Kerri discuss the issues facing us in 2023, including the end of the COVID-19 emergencies, the new Congress and its priorities, a Supreme Court case to keep an eye on, and abortion access in the states. In Last Call, J.D. salutes the audience for their work during the pandemic.
Welcome back to the Bar! We’re still writing 2022 on our bar tabs, but with the new year comes the possibility that the Public Health Emergency (PHE) from HHS and the COVID emergency declaration from the President might soon be ending! What are the implications for employers and their group health plans? And in Last Call, with all the talk of PHEs and HHS, J.D. explores the world of congressional acronyms.
The Bar on Healthcare – December 2022 That Was The Year That Was Happy Holidays from the Bar! In our special year-end wrap up episode, J.D. and Kerri count down their nominees for the court cases, laws and regulations that had the biggest impact on employer health plans in 2022. And in Last Call, J.D. and Kerri reveal the Bar on Healthcare’s inaugural Person of the Year.
It’s Halloween at the Bar! And what better way to celebrate spooky season than with the Prescription Drug Data Collection (RxDC)? Our special guest Ed Doherty helps us understand this new filing requirement and shows us there’s nothing to be afraid of! During Last Call, J.D. celebrates the return of blockbuster movies to the big screen.
