Employee Benefit News for School, City and County Employers

2024 Resources for Gag Clause Attestation

Written by Steve Smith | May 30, 2024 5:55:24 PM

1 minute read

The U.S. Department of Labor (DOL) recently issued resources to help health plans and insurers submit their annual compliance attestation for the Consolidated Appropriation Act’s (CAA) gag clause prohibition. The resources can be used to submit the next gag clause attestation, which is due by December 31, 2024.

 

Background

Effective in 2020, the CAA bars health plans and issuers from including gag clauses in contracts with providers, third-party administrators (TPAs), or service providers. Plans and issuers must annually attest to compliance with this rule by December 31st each year.

 

2024 Resources

The DOL has published the following resources to assist with the next annual attestation:

The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services had provided instructions and a user manual for previous attestation submissions.

 

Action Steps

Employers should review their contracts to ensure that they comply with gag clause requirements. Insured plans may not need to provide attestations if the issuer does so. Self-insured employers can arrange for TPAs to provide attestations, but the legal responsibility lies with the health plan. Some TPAs may not be willing to submit attestations. Employers needing to submit attestations should refer to the latest instructions and user manual. Download the bulletin for more details.