As a result of the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, we are observing all sorts of never-before-seen changes in the fully-insured group health plan space. Many insurers are liberally waiving their normal rules to accommodate the continuation of coverage to employers and employees in their time of need. Although the accommodations are welcome, employers need to exercise
Brian M. Johnston
Brian M. Johnston is a principal in the Kansas City, Missouri, office of Jackson Lewis P.C. He has more than 33 years of dedicated employee benefits experience representing public and private businesses, government entities, third party administrators, and other insurance and retirement service providers on a variety of employee benefit matters.
Employee Benefits Issues to Consider Before Deciding to Furlough or Terminate Employees During the COVID-19 Pandemic
With the combination of our nation’s response to COVID-19 and the resultant economic downturn, employers of all sizes face the moral and financial dilemma of evaluating employee headcounts while businesses are grappling with the reality of the current situation. Many employers are considering furloughs, or other types of approved leaves of absences, to reduce immediate…
The IRS Addresses Expenses Related to COVID-19
Like many other areas, employers are grappling with issues in response to the pandemic growth of the 2019 Novel Coronavirus (aka, “COVID-19”) in the workplace. One newer topic has been related to the desire to ensure employees and their families are proactively being diagnosed once symptoms present, to ensure proper care management for the employee…