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Legislation
Congress Moves Toward Bipartisan Approaches to Address Healthcare Issues
A spirit of bipartisanship in Congress seems to be rising from the rubble of the failed Republican efforts to repeal and replace the Affordable Care Act. The first test of Read More
Updated Better Care Reconciliation Act Released
The U.S. Senate has released a new, updated draft of the Republican-proposed Better Care Reconciliation Act aimed at winning over Republican Senators who were not enamored of the initially proposed Read More
Case of Whistleblower Demonstrates ACA Protections for Healthcare Workers
A recent ruling by the U.S. Department of Labor’s Administrative Review Board (ARB) upheld the anti-discrimination and anti-retaliation provisions contained in the Affordable Care Act (ACA). These “whistleblower provisions,” among Read More
McCarran-Ferguson Antitrust Exemption Is Eliminated After 70 Years
The Affordable Care Act may be here to stay, but changes to antitrust laws may affect how the healthcare insurance industry does business. The House of Representatives approved legislation that Read More
The GOP Wins ACA Funding Dispute, But Perhaps Not For Long
On Thursday (May 12), a federal court judge ruled against the White House’s favor, with regard to an allocation of funds spent with the ACA’s subsidy program. This program was Read More
Calculating FT and FTE Employees
The IRS has issued a reminder to employers that they must determine whether they are Applicable Large Employers for purposes of the Affordable Care Act – that is, whether they Read More
Voters Say The ACA Is Not a Key Issue
While many Republicans in Congress and on the campaign trail vilify the Affordable Care Act, American voters across the country are not particularly focused on the health care law as Read More
2016 Massachusetts Insurance Mandate Penalties
Massachusetts residents who fail to comply with the state’s mandatory health insurance requirement – widely regarded as a model for the Affordable Care Act – may be subject to penalties Read More
Contraception Back Before Supreme Court
At the request the Obama administration, the Supreme Court has agreed to hear a case centered on religious freedom and access to contraception under the Act. The court will hear Read More
Tax Considerations During Open Enrollment
The is alerting consumers to three matters they should consider while purchasing or renewing via an online . When a consumer applies for assistance to help pay the premiums for Read More
ACA Automatic Enrollment Repealed
The “automatic enrollment” provision of the Affordable Care Act, never enforced, has been repealed under the budget deal hammered out between Congress and the White House and signed into law Read More
One Million May Lose Insurance Subsidies
Well over a million low-income Americans could lose the subsidies they receive under the Affordable Care Act because they failed to file federal income tax returns, failed to include IRS Read More
Ask and Ask Again for SSNs
If You Don’t Have SSNs, Keep Asking for Them Many of the forms employers will have to file with the IRS early in 2016 ask for Social Security or taxpayer Read More
Voters In Key States Want ACA to Stay
A majority of likely voters in five key battleground states – Florida, Nevada, Ohio, Pennsylvania and Virginia – believe the Affordable Care Act is here to stay (64%) and want Read More
ACA Definition of ‘Small Employer’ is Revised
A bill aimed at protecting employees from possible increases in healthcare insurance costs under the Affordable Care Act passed both the House of Representatives and Senate, and has been signed Read MoreRobert Sheen Speaks to HR Executives on ACA Compliance
American employers must deal with new IRS reporting obligations and the possibility of hefty penalties because of the Affordable Care Act, Robert S. Sheen, Editor of the ACA Times and Read More
Article: Reporting 2015 Coverage of “MV-lite” Plans
Some employers have used “MV-lite” plans that offer very limited hospital and doctor benefits, yet technically satisfy the “minimum value” calculations of the government’s online calculator. These plans have been Read More
House Can Sue Administration on ACA Funding
The House of Representatives can pursue its lawsuit against the Obama Administration that claims funding of subsidies under the Affordable Care Act violate the Constitution. Judge Rosemary M. Collyer of Read MoreArticle: Offers of Coverage “On Behalf of Another Entity”
Offers of “ Behalf Another Entity” Because the Act for failing to to employees, most with over 50 – workers feel obliged to the . An ” ” may be Read MorePenalties Double For ACA Filing Failures
Penalties for failure to satisfy the complex IRS filing requirements resulting from the Affordable Care Act (ACA) have just doubled. With filing deadlines approaching, employers should act quickly to ensure Read More
ACA Reporting Requirements For Large Employers
Companies with 50 or more full-time employees should be gathering information now for Affordable Care Act reports they will have to provide to the IRS and to their employees early Read More
Misclassifying Workers Can Trigger Two Penalties
Employers are facing increased scrutiny by the Department of Labor, the and state regulators over possible misclassification employees as independent contractors or freelance workers. A DOL memo states that the Read More‘Cadillac Tax’ Could Affect 1 in 4 Employers
New projections from the Kaiser Family Foundation estimate that in 2018 one in four (26%) offering benefits could be subject to the Act’s excise – , also known as the Read More
Why You Can’t Afford to Ignore The ACA
Like all owners of small businesses, the men and women who run construction Companies had more than enough to do before the Affordable Care Act added one more task — Read MoreACA Reporting Update: New Forms, Higher Penalties
ACA Reporting Update: New Forms, Higher Penalties With the impending deadline early next year for submitting Affordable Care Act reports, most applicable large employers are (or should be) in the Read More
Medicare and Medicaid Popular After 50 Years
When Medicare and Medicaid were signed into law on July 30th 50 years ago, opponents attacked the programs as wasteful, intrusive and a precursor to socialism or communism. Today both Read MoreIRS on Employer Shared Responsibility Provisions
The Internal Revenue Service has issued a reminder to employers about specific “shared responsibility” provisions of the Affordable Care Act that may affect them. The size and structure of a Read MoreCompanies Struggle With ACA Reporting
New reporting requirements mandated by the Affordable Care Act are posing challenges to large and small companies, and most employers have made little progress on deciding on or implementing a Read MoreCalifornia Health Insurance Rates To Rise By 4%
California’s Affordable Care Act exchange, known as Covered California, has negotiated an average 4% increase in premiums for the 1.3 million residents of the state who buy individual insurance through Read More
ACA Offers Help For Informal Caregivers
Millions of Americans who provide unpaid care for ill, disabled or aged family members or friends can now get help through the Affordable Care Act for their own physical and Read MoreNew Rules on Religious Objections to Birth Control
The Obama administration has unveiled new rules aiming to address religious objections by to providing birth control to female employees as required by the Act. Read MoreImpact of ‘King’ on Applicable Large Employers
Impact of ‘King’ on Applicable Large Employers The Supreme Court’s decision in ‘King v. Burwell’ had ramifications for “applicable large employers” that went beyond approving payment of insurance subsidies in Read MoreNumber of High-Cost Claims Smaller Than Expected
The Affordable Care Act’s requirement that insurers offer coverage to everyone, including those with serious pre-existing medical expenses, has not resulted in a surge of hight-cost claims. The federal agency Read MoreAfter ‘King’ Ruling, States Look at Medicaid Expansion
Now that the Supreme Court has ruled in favor of the administration’s position in the ‘King v. Burwell’ case, supporting the legality of Affordable Care Act subsidies in all states, Read More
Supreme Court Rules ACA Subsidies Are Legal
In a 6-3 decision, the Supreme Court ruled on June 25th that it is legal for government subsidies under the Affordable Care Act to be available to all Americans, as Read MoreBill Would Address Impact of Possible ‘King’ Ruling
A Republican Congressman has introduced to help individuals who would lose their insurance subsidies if the Supreme Court rules in favour of the plaintiffs in the “King v. Burwell” case. Read MoreRepeal of Medical Device Tax Goes to House
The House Ways and Means Committee approved H.R. 160, which would repeal the 2.3% excise tax on medical device manufacturers imposed under the Affordable Care Act and intended to help Read More
