In the Know

Health Plans Must Cover COVID-19 Vaccine Without Cost Sharing

Non-grandfathered group health plans, and health insurance issuers offering group or individual health insurance coverage, must cover coronavirus preventive services, including recommended COVID–19 immunizations, without cost sharing. During the COVID-19 public health emergency, covered services may be provided by in-network or out-of-network providers.

COVID-19 Vaccine Distribution Begins Following Emergency Use Authorization by FDA

COVID-19 Vaccine Distribution Begins Following Emergency Use Authorization by FDA The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has issued an Emergency Use Authorization (EUA) for drugmaker Pfizer Inc.’s COVID-19 vaccine, developed in partnership with German drugmaker BioNTech.

This EUA allows distribution of the vaccine to begin immediately in the United States, and some high-risk health care workers will begin receiving their first shot of the two-dose vaccine this week.

The authorization follows an endorsement from the FDA’s Vaccines and Related Biological Products Advisory Committee (VRBPAC), composed of independent doctors, scientists and experts.

“The FDA’s authorization for emergency use of the first COVID-19 vaccine is a significant milestone in battling this devastating pandemic that has affected so many families in the United States and around the world,” said FDA Commissioner Stephen M. Hahn, M.D.

COVID-19 Vaccine Distribution Prior to the FDA authorization for Pfizer’s COVID-19 vaccine, federal officials had planned for 6.4 million doses to be distributed initially, with future shipments following shortly after. As high-risk groups, including health care workers and long-term care residents, begin to receive the COVID-19 vaccine before the end of 2020, it will likely still be months before vaccine distribution reaches the general public. For more information on the coronavirus pandemic, contact Coffman Insurance Agency, Inc. today.

California Sexual Harassment Prevention Training Deadline Approaching!

SB 1343 requires that all employers of 5 or more employees provide 1 hour of sexual harassment and abusive conduct prevention training to non-managerial employees and 2 hours of sexual harassment and abusive conduct prevention training to managerial employees once every two years. Existing law requires the training to include harassment based on gender identity, gender expression, and sexual orientation and to include practical examples of such harassment and to be provided by trainers or educators with knowledge and expertise in those areas.

An employer is required to train its California-based employees so long as it employs 5 or more employees anywhere, even if they do not work at the same location and even if not all of them work or reside in California. Under the DFEH’s regulations, the definition of “employee” for training purposes includes full-time, part-time, and temporary employees, unpaid interns, unpaid volunteers, and persons providing services pursuant to a contract (independent contractors).

The deadline to comply with the training requirement is January 1st., 2021.

Contact Coffman Benefits today for information on how to access our complimentary Sexual Harassment Prevention Training!

Florida Minimum Wage Will Rise Gradually to $15 per hour

On Nov. 3, 2020, voters in Florida approved a constitutional amendment that will raise the state minimum wage rate each year until it reaches $15 per hour in 2026. Beginning in 2027, the state minimum wage rate will be adjusted annually by Florida’s Department of Economic Opportunity. The amendment did not change the tip credit Florida allows employers to deduct from their tipped employees. Since this credit will remain at $3.02, projected minimum wage rates for tipped employees are also included in the table below.

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Next Steps for Employers

Employers in Florida will need to adjust their payroll procedures to accommodate two minimum wage increases in 2021, the first on January 1, the second on September 30. Employers can also use this information to plan for annual minimum wage increases through 2026.