Families First Coronavirus Response Act Summary
On Wednesday, March 18, 2020, the U.S. Senate voted to approve H.R. 6102 The Families First Coronavirus Response Act (the Act) that was passed by the U.S. …Continue Reading
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Update on Families First Coronavirus Response Act
UPDATE – March 18, 2020 – 5:00 p.m.:
On the afternoon of Wednesday, March 18, the U.S. Senate approved the House-passed Families First Coronavirus Response Act (HR-6201) in a 90-8 vote. The bill will now be sent to the White House for the signature of the President, who has indicated willingness to sign the bill into law. It appears that the Senate passed the version approved by the House on Monday with technical corrections without any changes. Scott’s legislative affairs team is reviewing the bill and will provide a detailed summary of the law.
UPDATE – March 18, 2020 – 8:00 a.m.:
On March 16, the U.S. House of Representatives passed certain updates to Saturday’s Families First Coronavirus Response Act. While passed as technical corrections, some changes appear to be potentially significant. Notable changes are as follows:
- The original House bill provided paid family medical leave for up to 12 weeks for certain employees who are quarantined or seeking diagnosis of coronavirus, caring for an at-risk family member, or caring for a child whose school or place of care has been closed. The altered bill appears to provide paid sick leave for up to 2 weeks for those who are quarantined or caring for an at-risk family member. Only those caring for out-of-school children are eligible for an additional 10 weeks of paid family medical leave.
- Furthermore, healthcare workers and emergency responders may or may not be eligible for either of the above provisions at the discretion of the Secretary of Labor.
As a reminder, the bill has yet to pass the Senate and may be subject to further revisions. We will provide a summary of the final bill once signed into law.
During the early morning hours of March 14, 2020, the U.S. House of Representatives passed the Families First Coronavirus Response Act (HR 6201). The bill will require a technical correction in the House on Monday morning and will then head to the Senate where it is expected to pass sometime early in the week. President Trump has already committed to signing it into law. In addition to dealing with immediate public health challenges, it includes a wide array of provisions, including a requirement around COVID – 19 testing coverage, a paid leave requirement and expansion of FMLA for employers under 500 related to coronavirus.
There was quite a bit of discussion around COVID – 19 testing last week. This bill takes the coverage requirement a step further than most carriers had last week, by requiring not only the testing be covered with no cost sharing, but also the cost of a provider, urgent care center and emergency room visit that is a part of the testing. Below is some details from the bill summary: Continue reading
COVID-19 & Your Commercial Property and Casualty Insurance Program
As the novel coronavirus, COVID-19, has now been designated a pandemic by the World Health Organization and more than 1,200 cases have been confirmed in the United States, many employers are wondering how their property and casualty insurance policies will respond. Below are some general guidelines for the primary lines of insurance coverage: Continue reading
COVID-19 & Your Employer-Sponsored Health Plan
As the novel coronavirus, COVID-19, has now been designated a pandemic by the World Health Organization and more than 1,000 cases have been confirmed in the United …Continue Reading
Property & Casualty Market Update
As we begin a new decade, we are navigating an increasingly unpredictable insurance market and many businesses are facing significant pricing increases upon renewal. Our 2019-2020 Property & Casualty Market Outlook, which was released in June 2019, provided our reaction to market trends and some pricing expectations. With Q3 and Q4 now behind us, we thought it would be beneficial to share an update with new insights and observations to better prepare our clients for current pricing pressures and provide guidance for managing the net impact. Continue reading