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Open enrollment during the second year of Obamacare closed on Sunday, Feb. 15, and the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) subsequently released its latest statistical "snapshot" showing that 11.4 million persons signed up or renewed their health insurance policies.
Meanwhile, HHS Secretary Sylvia Burwell announced today that those in process of enrollment who didn't complete the pro...
Two days before the first wave of President Obama's immigration reform was to take effect, a federal judge in Texas has issued a 123-page order halting federal immigration officials from implementing the plan.
U.S. District Judge Andrew S. Hanen in Brownsville issued the order on Monday barring implementation of "any and all aspects" of President Obama's executive order issued in November 2014...
On Sunday, Feb. 15, open enrollment for health insurance under the Affordable Care Act (ACA, commonly referred to as Obamacare) is closing.
Thus far, the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) says that at least 10 million people have enrolled or been automatically re-enrolled in Obamacare policies. More than 80 percent of these enrollees are eligible for premium subsidies averaging abo...
Covered entities bound by the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) and its breach notification rule must submit reports of breaches affecting fewer than 500 individuals by March 1, or 60 days after the calendar year in which the breaches occurred. Here's the language explaining the report:
If a breach of unsecured protected health information affects fewer than 500 indivi...
The Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) has released a report outlining the impact of advanced premium tax credits on premiums in the Health Insurance Marketplaces. Almost 6.5 million individuals in the 37 states using the HealthCare.gov platform are estimated to qualify for an average of $268 per person/month in advanced premium tax credits, HHS calculates.
Among consumers who are s...
The Liberty Mutual Research Institute for Safety has released its 2014 Workplace Safety Index, which ranks the 10 leading causes of workplace injuries and their associated direct workers' compensation costs.
Overexertion ranked first as the leading cause of disabling injury. The category, which includes injuries related to lifting, pushing, pulling, holding, carrying or throwing, cost U.S. bus...
The Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) has issued an advance notice of proposed rulemaking (ANPRM) on the equal employment opportunity (EEO) complaint process in the federal sector, the agency announced. The ANPRM, which has been coordinated with other federal agencies, is published in the Federal Register.
The ANPRM signals the first public comprehensive review of the federal sec...
The theft of the personally identifiable data of 80 million policyholders of Anthem Blue Cross and Blue Shield from the company's database pinpoints a flaw in federal privacy standards, which do not require data encryption but merely encourage it.
Under the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA), all personal health information (PHI) of a policyholder must be secured and h...
On Tuesday, the Department of Labor (DOL) posted a notice in the Federal Register seeking public commentary on "improving regulation and regulatory review" and set the deadline for receipt of the comments on Feb. 25 -- a window of a scant three weeks.
The invitation for comments follows on the heels of President Obama's Executive Order 13563 of 2011 mandating the DOL to find and use only "the ...
The Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) today released a comprehensive set of fiscal year 2014 private sector data tables providing detailed breakdowns for the 88,778 charges of workplace discrimination the agency received. The fiscal year ran from Oct. 1, 2013, to Sept. 30, 2014.
The number of charges filed decreased compared with recent fiscal years, due in part to the government ...
Practical articles on HR, Safety, compliance, and people operations—written for real businesses, not legal textbooks.
Latest EEOC Enforcement Data Shows Increased Pre-Litigation Activity
The U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) recently released its FY 2025 performance and enforcement results. In a news release dated April 6th, 2026, the agency reported increased monetary recoveries for victims of employment discrimination and increased enforcement activity overall....
EEOC Pens Letter to Companies Regarding Title VII Compliance and DEI Initiatives
The Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) recently issued a letter to 500 of the largest employers in the United States regarding Title VII compliance and potentially "illegal" DEI initiatives. Notably, the document was drafted for the chief executive officers, general counsel, and board...
NLRB Officially Reinstates Previous 2020 Joint Employer Standard
On February 26th, 2026, the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) officially reinstated its 2020 Joint Employer standard. Specifically, to do so, the agency needed to formally withdraw a 2023 Joint Employer standard. That final rule was to go into effect on February 26th, 2024.
OSHA Releases New Job Safety and Health Workplace Poster
The Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) has released a new workplace job safety and health notice. Specifically, the OSHA Cares Job Safety and Health poster informs workers about their rights under the Occupational Safety and Health (OSH) Act. Per OSHA’s poster page, employers do...
On February 26th, 2026, the Department of Labor (DOL) announced a proposed rule designed to help determine independent contractor status. Overall, the new independent contractor rule would help employers better understand when a worker is an employee. Conversely, the rule will allow employers to...