Health Reform
Opportunity lost, or ill-conceived initiative? Association health plans and the states’ trump card
The new association health plan rules grant permission for something many associations, franchisors, chambers of commerce and other clients would love to do. But the DOL’s rules reserve the last word for someone else. In this case, the foil is played by the states.
Trade group sues to block Seattle’s employer mandate on hotel owners
An employee benefits advocacy group representing many of the nation’s largest employers has filed a lawsuit in a federal court in Seattle, seeking to bar the city from enforcing a new employer health insurance mandate for certain hotel workers. The implications of the suit could ripple far outside the Pacific northwest and the hotel industry.
The IRS wants to know: Has your company filed Form 1095-C?
The IRS has begun enforcing the filing of Form 1095-C. Learn what your options are if you receive an IRS Letter 5699 notifying your company of noncompliance.
IRS increases ACA employer mandate affordability threshold for 2019
The IRS has announced a three-tenths of 1 percent increase in the Affordable Care Act’s (ACA) employer mandate affordability threshold for 2019.
Feds announce out-of-pocket limits for 2019
The US Department of Health and Human Services has announced the inflation-adjusted out-of-pocket limits that will apply to non-grandfathered plans for plan years beginning in 2019.
Déjà vu: Red states sue Trump administration to kill Obamacare
Last year’s tax reform law reduced the penalty tax for not having health coverage to $0. In response, attorneys general and governors from 20 states sued the Trump administration, arguing the lack of an individual mandate makes the entire ACA unconstitutional.
Three things to note as the year draws to a close…
IRS puts damper on prepaying 2018 property taxes, Court rescinds EEOC wellness regs…for 2019, Oregon may jump on “Let’s tax health insurance!” bandwagon We have a mixed bag for you in this last blog post of 2017: A pair of tax issues (one federal, one state), and a...
Déjà Vu: Massachusetts Proposes Regulations for Employer Tax Assessments To Help Offset State Costs
Beginning next year, the ghost of Massachusetts health reform will be back to haunt employers in the form of a new tax.
IRS Pulls the Veil Off (Scarlet) Letter 226J
The IRS recently updated its online Q&A regarding enforcement of the Affordable Care Act’s employer mandate.
Goodbye to the Transitional Reinsurance Fee – Almost: Final Scheduled Payment Coming Due Nov. 15
The Transitional Reinsurance program helps stabilize individual insurance premiums offered through the marketplaces. The final year the TRF applied was in 2016.
Playtime is Over: IRS Gets Serious on ACA Mandate Enforcement (But Will Congress Deliver Us from the Effort?)
The Affordable Care Act (ACA) imposes health insurance coverage mandates on individuals and employers, but to this point the IRS has been slow to enforce the mandates. That may no longer be the case as the IRS signals it is prepared to begin an enforcement effort in...
The Truth About the Preserving Employee Wellness Plans Act
Numerous articles have reported that a recent bill passed by the House Education and Workforce Committee – the Preserving Employee Wellness Plans Act (H.R. 1313) – would allow employers to obtain genetic information about their employees which had not previously been...
Excepted Benefits That Don’t Cause ACA Concerns Part II
Part II: The ACA Effect The Affordable Care Act has prompted employers to provide more tailored health coverage options to their workforce. Some employers have turned to offering medical benefits that are intended to qualify as “excepted benefits.” An excepted benefit...
Excepted Benefits: Medical Benefits That Don’t Cause ACA Concerns
Part I – Traditional Excepted Benefits The Affordable Care Act (ACA) has prompted employers to provide more tailored health coverage options to their workforce. Some employers have turned to offering medical benefits that are intended to qualify as “excepted...
DOL Finalizes Rules on Employer Retaliation Under ACA
The US Department of Labor (DOL) has issued final regulations that prohibit employers from retaliating against employees who receive a federal subsidy when they purchase individual coverage in an online health insurance exchange, or “marketplace.” Under the Affordable...