New DOL Guidance: What Employers Should Do as Covid Emergency Comes to an End

New Biden administration guidance clarifies how employer Covid health care coverage and payment requirements enacted during the pandemic will change when the public health emergency comes to an end in April.

Employers are encouraged to carefully review the guidance and determine what, if any, changes they need to make to their health care benefits.

Employers may receive special enrollment requests from employees losing Medicaid coverage and who may be eligible for, and interested in, enrolling in their employment-based health coverage.

Additional guidance regarding high-deductible health plans (HDHP) may be forthcoming.  In the interim, employees can continue to contribute to an HSA if covered by a HDHP that provides pre-deductible first-dollar coverage for medical care services and items purchased related to Covid testing and treatment.

President Biden is expected to sign a bill just passed by Congress that will immediately end the public health emergency. That measure is likely to take effect in April.