Category: Employee Benefits

What The COVID-19 Self-Test Kit Means for Employers & Employees

On November 17, 2020, the FDA issued emergency use authorization (EUA) for the first self-test kit for COVID-19 that can provide rapid results at home with 94%-98% accuracy.

While Lucira’s single-use test is currently only available at Sutter Health in Northern California and the Cleveland Clinic in South Florida, it is expected to be available nationwide in early 2021. The test kit – estimated to cost around $50 – will require a prescription and all results must be reported to health authorities. Individuals over the age of 14 who are showing symptoms of COVID-19 will be able to self-administer the test and get results at home within 30 minutes. The test is also authorized for use in doctor’s offices, hospitals, urgent care centers and emergency departments for patients of all ages.   Continue reading

Amazon Launches “Amazon Pharmacy”, An Online Pharmacy Store Implications across the PBM industry

From bookstores to cloud computing, Amazon keeps us guessing which industry they will disrupt next.  Amazon had their sights set on disrupting the retail pharmacy industry starting with their 2018 acquisition of PillPack, a mail order pharmacy which provides customized “daily dispensing” packs for patients taking multiple medications. On November 17, 2020, Amazon announced it is entering the pharmacy space with two new pharmacy products:  Amazon Prime prescription savings benefit and Amazon Pharmacy.  Amazon Pharmacy will provide customers the ability to order prescriptions through their platform and obtain delivery within days.

This announcement comes as many states begin to reinstate COVID-19 restrictions and more Americans look to receiving their medications via mail to avoid exposure. While this new offering provides consumers an additional access point to their medication, it is important to consider the implications across the pharmacy benefit industry.  Continue reading

2020 Presidential Election: Impacts on Employer-Sponsored Health Plans

With the major media organizations having now called the presidential election declaring former Vice President Joe Biden as the 46th President of the United States, we wanted to provide some forward-looking insights regarding the potential impacts to employer-sponsored health plans.

What does a Biden-Harris administration mean for employers and their employee benefits?

Although healthcare received an inordinate amount of attention during the Democratic primary and a good bit of discussion in the presidential debates, it isn’t on the list of the immediate priorities released by the Biden-Harris transition team over the weekend.  So, we don’t anticipate any immediate changes to the status quo.  Continue reading

DOL Revises FFCRA Regulations in Response to Court Decision

The U.S. Department of Labor (DOL) has issued revisions to regulations that implement the paid sick leave and expanded family and medical leave provisions of the Families First Coronavirus Response Act (FFCRA). The revisions were issued in response to a New York federal court decision that struck down parts of the regulations. The revisions take effect Sept. 16, 2020.   Continue reading

Additional DOL Guidance on Coronavirus and Federal Employment Laws

On July 20, 2020, the U.S. Department of Labor (DOL) announced the agency’s publication of additional guidance on applying federal employment laws in the context of the …Continue Reading