Last evening, the President signed the Families First Coronavirus Response Act (“the Act”) into law. Below is a summary of the law as it pertains to employers:
No Employee Costs for Coronavirus Testing
Private health plans, Medicare, Medicaid, Medicare Advantage and other public insurance plans have to cover testing for COVID-19 and related hospital or physicians’ office visits at no cost to consumers with no prior authorization. This applies to insured and self-funded plans.
Family and Sick Leave Benefits
Employers with less than 500 employees will be required to provide more comprehensive paid sick and family leave benefits related to COVID-19. The benefits will be paid by the federal government using refundable tax credits within three months. The details of this include:
The bill also appropriates $1 billion to states for unemployment insurance expansion, increased Medicaid funding and additional nutritional services for low-income Americans, particularly students who ordinarily receive subsidized meals at school.
It will important for employers to connect with their “leave” administrators (if applicable) and more importantly their employment law professionals who can assist with the implementation and set up of the new leave requirements. Health Plans and TPAs will universally implement the waiving of cost sharing for testing and care as noted above. Conner Strong & Buckelew will continue to share updates on these major regulatory issues as they unfold.
Please call your Conner Strong & Buckelew account representative with any questions and be sure to visit our COVID-19 Resource Center for additional information.
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