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Shira is a member of the firm’s Employee Benefits & Executive Compensation group. Her practice focuses on advising employers and plan sponsors on complex issues involving group health plans, health insurance coverage and regulatory compliance. She provides practical guidance on statutory and regulatory requirements under the Affordable Care Act, Mental Health Parity and Addiction Equity Act, No Surprises Act and other federal mandates affecting health and welfare benefits.

A recent excellent New York Times article explains how a change in law first effective in 2022 has quickly come to be used by out-of-network providers to obtain significant overpayments for routine medical procedures.  Not stated in the article is the impact on self-funded group health plans and the sponsors of those plans.  Specifically, the

The Departments of Labor, Health and Human Services, and the Treasury (the “Departments”) recently released their 2025 Report to Congress on enforcement activity under the Mental Health Parity and Addiction Equity Act (“MHPAEA”).

Background

MHPAEA is a federal law that generally requires group health plans and health insurance issuers that provide mental health or substance

The Department of Labor (DOL or the Department) recently announced its 2026 national enforcement projects, signaling changes in the administration’s enforcement priorities for this fiscal year. The Department identified priorities both with respect to health and welfare plans and retirement plans, as well as cybersecurity, although the Department has clearly shifted significant resources to health