On Dec. 22, 2021, the U.S. Supreme Court announced that it will hear oral arguments regarding whether two federal vaccine requirements can be enforced while legal appeals are in process. On Jan. 7, 2022, the Court will consider requests on the Occupational Safety and Health Administration’s (OSHA) federal emergency temporary standard (ETS) for COVID-19 and the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) emergency rule requiring COVID-19 vaccination of certain health care workers.
Increased Civil Penalty Amounts for Certain Violations
Effective Nov. 15, 2021, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) has increased the following key penalties affecting group health plans:
- Summary of Benefits and Coverage (SBC)
- Medicare Secondary Payer (MSP)
- HIPAA privacy and security rules
