The Departments of Health and Human Services, Labor, and the Treasury, as well as the Office of Personnel Management (Departments) recently finalized the Independent Dispute Resolution (IDR) Operations rule under the No Surprises Act (NSA). Although many self-funded group health plan fiduciaries won’t have to deal directly with the operational changes to the federal IDR

On March 30, the Department of Labor (“DOL”) issued its long-anticipated proposed regulation, “Fiduciary Duties in Selecting Designated Investment Alternatives”, that is intended to address the dual aims of (i) expanding 401(k) designated investment alternatives (“DIAs”) to funds that include alternative assets and (ii) limiting litigation risk.  The impetus for the proposed regulation

Prudent appointment and monitoring of Russell Investments Trust Company (“Russell”) as an ERISA section 3(38) investment manager by the 401(k) Plan Committee (“Committee”) for the Caesars Entertainment Corporation Savings & Retirement Plan (“Plan”) recently paid dividends for the Committee and the plan sponsor, Caesars Holdings, Inc. (“Caesars”)

On August 7, 2025, President Trump issued an Executive Order (“Order”) directing the Department of Labor (“Department”) and U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (“SEC”) to, no later than February 3, 2026, issue rules or guidance – potentially including a safe harbor – intended to encourage the inclusion of alternative assets, such as private equity, cryptocurrency