GOP Attorneys General Seeking DOL Directive for Alternatives to Obamacare

ANCOR is sharing this item by Bloomberg Law because it holds potential relevance for our members with smaller organizations which offer health benefits to their employees.

“Seven Republican state attorneys general wrote to Acosta in February seeking a DOL advisory opinion on employee benefits law, according to a letter obtained by Bloomberg Law. These opinions generally are used to inform the public of the administration’s interpretation of a law and can be seen as a green light to move forward without fear of lawsuits.

The states want the labor secretary to say it’s legal under the Employee Retirement Income Security Act for companies to pool resources with businesses in other states to sell insurance, Landry said in an interview.

[Louisiana Attorney General Jeff] Landry spoke to Bloomberg Law about the request before Acosta announced July 12 that he is stepping down. Landry subsequently confirmed that he intends to take the request directly to Pizzella and is more optimistic that Pizzella will take action when Acosta didn’t.”