With the stunning election of Donald Trump as President comes a serious question of what happens to the Employer Mandate under the Affordable Care Act (ACA), also known as “Obamacare.” …
Affordable Care Act
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Affordable Care ActReporting
Know Your Dates Or Face Penalties: An Infographic
by Robert Sheenby Robert SheenWe are nearing the end of the 2016 tax year, and with it comes the inevitable document filings come early 2017. As per the ACA, many key dates are mandated …
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Affordable Care ActRegulations
The Nondiscrimination Provision of the ACA: What To Know
by Robert Sheenby Robert SheenFinal rules implementing Section 1557 of the Affordable Care Act was published on May 18, 2016, and go into effect on July 18, 2016. However, any changes to applicable health …
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Affordable Care ActHealth Care CoverageTax Filings
ACA Compliance Difficulties? The 1940’s Started it All.
by Robert Sheenby Robert SheenThis past tax year, many employers experienced a whole new dimension to documenting and reporting information about their employees to the government. With the Affordable Care Act mandating that full-time …
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Affordable Care ActHealth Care Coverage
Will ColoradoCare replace the ACA?
by Robert Sheenby Robert SheenNovember 8th is right around the corner. And while the onus of the day is placed on electing our next President, Colorado residents will have something else to ponder in …
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Affordable Care Act
A Quick Update On The ACA From The ABA’s Health and Welfare Benefit Plans National Institute
by Robert Sheenby Robert SheenOn October 6th and 7th, officials from several governmental departments—including the Treasury Department—gathered in Washington, D.C. for the American Bar Association’s (ABA) Health and Welfare Benefit Plans National Institute. Officials …
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ACA CompliancePenalties
ACA Employer Mandate Penalties Over The Next Ten Years Projects Billions
by Robert Sheenby Robert SheenACA, compliance is serious business. Failure to comply with the requirements and deadlines set forth by the Affordable Care Act can lead to big penalties. These penalties are so big, …
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Affordable Care ActUninsured
Study Shows Millions Of Uninsured Eligible Americans Are Still Underutilizing The ACA
by Robert Sheenby Robert SheenThe Kaiser Family Foundation has released another report surrounding ACA figures, and the results are astounding. In a report of “Estimates of Eligibility for ACA Coverage among the Uninsured in …
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Affordable Care ActHealth Care CoverageRegulations
News From Washington: ACA Has To Tighten Up Pediatric Dental Care
by Robert Sheenby Robert SheenWhen it comes to healthcare under the Affordable Care Act, many points of coverage can often be an afterthought. QHPs, or “qualified health plans,” are required to fulfill ten “essential …
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Affordable Care ActIndividual Shared Responsibility Payment
Individual Shared Responsibility Payment? Not For Everyone
by Robert Sheenby Robert SheenFor many, the Individual Shared Responsibility payment is another irritating factor of healthcare as it can add to yet another unforeseen financial burden to the pockets of Americans. However, we …
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Form 1094-CForm 1095-CReporting
Updated Forms 1094-C And 1095-C Are Here
by Robert Sheenby Robert SheenThe IRS has released the final updated Forms 1094-C and 1095-C,and while there aren’t many modifications, there are some changes of note. As you probably already know, Form 1094-C is …
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Employee MisclassificationRegulations
NLRB Takes A Stand In The Ongoing Misclassification Battle
by Robert Sheenby Robert SheenEmployee Misclassification continues to be an issue, as more contract employment arises and information regarding health care, hours, wages, and tax liabilities are not being met by said contractors. At …
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Affordable Care ActIRS
How To Deal With An IRS Incorrect TIN Notification: The DO’s And DON’Ts
by Robert Sheenby Robert SheenWhen it comes to employee TINs, some errors seem inevitable, but they don’t always mean what they seem. As an Applicable Large Employer (ALE), it is your duty in accordance …
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Affordable Care ActHealth Care CoverageHealth Insurance Marketplace
Come 2017, Blue Cross Will Be Everywhere In North Carolina
by Robert Sheenby Robert SheenIn April, UnitedHealth announced its plans to exit from multiple Marketplaces, including in North Carolina. The health care giant has complained of the Affordable Care Act (ACA) causing them huge …
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Affordable Care ActAIR
AIR Errors And Missing TINs: A Tip Sheet On Quick Fixes
by Robert Sheenby Robert SheenThe electronic system for information reporting under the Affordable Care Act is not without its glitches. We know this by now, and in the midst of 2015 information reporting this …
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Affordable Care Act
Oklahoma Joins Forces With The DOL To End Misclassification
by Robert Sheenby Robert SheenThe ACA Times reported at the top of September thatPennsylvania signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with the Department of Labor, aiming to prevent further Employee Misclassifications. The MOU would …
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Affordable Care ActHealth Care CoverageIndividual Shared Responsibility Payment
New Updates Arrive Surrounding Individual Shared Responsibility
by Robert Sheenby Robert SheenAt the top of September, the House Ways and Means Committee reunited following summer break with new markups surrounding the individual shared responsibility payment requirement of the Affordable Care Act. …
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Health Care Coverage
New Light Is Shed On The Hardship Exemption For Health Coverage Tax Credit
by Robert Sheenby Robert SheenThe Health Coverage Tax Credit (HCTC) has benefited many in affording healthcare coverage, as the ACA requires minimum essential coverage for all individuals. However, while the HCTC typically only applies …
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Affordable Care ActPenaltiesReporting
Potential ACA Penalties: An Infographic
by Robert Sheenby Robert SheenAre you aware of the myriad of possible unnecessary penalties that can occur with violations of the Affordable Care Act? By now you’ve been informed of various possibilities, but they …
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Affordable Care ActForm 5500
Form 5500 Gets A Makeover: Find Out What Has Changed
by Robert Sheenby Robert SheenForm 5500 is getting a makeover. The forms are under the Employee Retirement Income Security Act of 1974 (ERISA), will now require more information to complete from plan sponsors. While …
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Affordable Care ActHealth Care Coverage
Iowa Takes A Big Step Toward Small Business Health Care For Employees
by Robert Sheenby Robert SheenIt hasn’t been the easiest task getting small businesses on board for healthcare, as money can be an issue. The Health Reimbursement Arrangement (HRA) allows small businesses to reimburse employees …
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Affordable Care ActHealth Care CoveragePolls/Surveys
Are High-Deductible Plans The Way To Go?
by Robert Sheenby Robert SheenIt should come as no surprise that as individuals obtain healthcare under the Affordable Care Act, the greatest concern is cost. From individual plans to employer-sponsored plans, individuals want the …
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ACA ComplianceHealth Insurance Marketplace
It’s A Brand New Day For Marketplace Notices And Appeals
by Robert Sheenby Robert SheenOver the course of the year, many employers participated in a widespread panic over notices mailed to them from the ACA’s Health Insurance Marketplace. These notices summarized that an employee …
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Affordable Care ActPolls/Surveys
ACA Drops Nation’s Uninsured Rate To Record Low
by Robert Sheenby Robert SheenThe number of uninsured Americans is now at record low thanks to the Affordable Care Act. In a study conducted by the National Health Interview Survey over the first three …
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Premium Tax CreditTax Filings
Late Filers: Is Your Premium Tax Credit In Jeopardy?
by Robert Sheenby Robert SheenFor those who received an advance payment for the Premium Tax Credit, yet have extended their 2015 tax return filing or don’t file at all, there’s something you should know. …
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ACA Compliance
More Tips On Avoiding Penalties During ACA Information Reporting
by Robert Sheenby Robert SheenEmployers have lost a significant margin of error when it comes to ACA information reporting in 2016. As previously discussed, as the good faith standard for incomplete or inaccurate reporting …
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The IRS has revealed some more drafts for their 2016 reporting forms, and already things have changed. You may recall in an earlier ACA Times article where the topics of …
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ACA ComplianceAffordable Care Act
Guess Which State Is Taking A Step Toward Correcting Employee Misclassifications?
by Robert Sheenby Robert SheenSince 2015, the topic of employee misclassification has been a hot one. Thank companies like Dave & Busters—who came under fire for allegedly doctoring hours to fall below the ACA’s …
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Affordable Care ActHealth Care CoveragePolls/Surveys
The ACA Brings Another Win To California
by Robert Sheenby Robert SheenIn the 4th Kaiser Family Foundation Longitudinal Panel Survey, some impressive findings surround the state of California. The survey polled a randomly selected pool of uninsured adult Californians and tracked …
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Affordable Care Act
The ACA Comes Under Fire Again For Allocations Of Funds
by Robert Sheenby Robert SheenOnce again furthering the rift between the Democrats’ and Republicans’ respective opinions of the Affordable Care Act, cost-sharing reductions return to question. In a hearing held in July, a representative …
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With ACA reporting deadlines approaching soon, the IRS has issued draft updates to forms 1094-C and 1095-C which large employers must use to report on certain health plan information to …
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Affordable Care ActPenaltiesRegulations
ACA Penalties For Missing Information? Maybe Not, If You Act Responsibly
by Robert Sheenby Robert SheenAt the close of July, the IRS issued proposed regulations around the filing of forms 1094 and 1095. Under IRC 6055, certain large employers must file information returns 1094 and …
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Affordable Care ActHealth Care Coverage
Form 5500’s Proposed Changes: An Update
by Robert Sheenby Robert SheenNews that the DOL planned to change Form 5500 surfaced several weeks ago and now more information has become available. In line with recent increased focus from the DOL and …
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Health Care Reform
States Feel Shifts In Medicaid Expansion As New Governors Take Office
by Robert Sheenby Robert SheenMedicaid expansion is not a fixed journey, as we’re slowly learning from states like Kentucky and Louisiana. The Wall Street Journal reports a pleasant change in events for the aforementioned …
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Affordable Care ActHealth Care Coverage
Troubles With Uber And The “Gig” Economy Extend Overseas
by Robert Sheenby Robert SheenOver the past year, we’ve watched Uber go through a rollercoaster ride. It all started when drivers who at random points throughout the year exceeded a 30 hour work week, …
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Affordable Care ActMinimum Essential Coverage
Minimum Essential Coverage: Looking Ahead Toward 2016 Reporting
by Robert Sheenby Robert SheenLet’s call the details of the Affordable Care Act a work in progress, even still. Since its humble 2010 beginnings, the ACA has evolved based upon the needs of (almost) …
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Affordable Care Act
The ACA’s 2016 Reporting Forms Are Changing: View The IRS Drafts
by Robert Sheenby Robert SheenOver the past two months, the IRS has gradually rolled out ACA reporting forms for 2016. So far? 1094-B and 1095-B have been changed, as well as 1094-C and 1095-C. …
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Employers were given a gift of sorts from the IRS and the ACA when extensions for paper filings were extended to 5/31/16 and electronic filings were extended to 6/30/16. Perhaps …
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Affordable Care Act
New Study Finds That Premiums Are Still Down Thanks To The ACA
by Robert Sheenby Robert SheenOf all the preconceived notions surrounding the Affordable Care Act (ACA), anything money related remains at the forefront. As insurance companies claim financial hits due to reduced marketplace premiums, on …
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Health Care CoverageHealth Insurance Marketplace
Hey Cigna, Welcome To Chicago!
by Robert Sheenby Robert Sheen2016 has been a confusing one for many Americans who question the security of their health insurance providers. As major companies like UnitedHealthcare are swiftly withdrawing from certain exchanges nationwide …
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By the time July kicked off, many employers received notices from the Health Insurance Marketplace aka “the Exchange,” provided by the Affordable Care Act where individuals and families can obtain …
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Affordable Care ActHealth Care Coverage
Deciphering Expatriate Health Plans
by Robert Sheenby Robert SheenExpatriate health plans (or “Expat Health Plans”) have led to much confusion ever since the ACA came into effect in 2010. Simply put, expats (or anyone living/working abroad) struggled with …
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Affordable Care ActPenalties
SBA Posts New Interim Rule on SBA Loan Review Decisions Under the Paycheck Protection Program (PPP)
by Robert Sheenby Robert SheenPenalties are no joking matter when it comes to employers and the Affordable Care Act. A slip up in paperwork, negligence in reporting, or not offering minimum essential coverage to …
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Affordable Care ActHealth Care CoveragePolls/Surveys
Gallup Poll Suggest Health Care Insecurity Is Now At A Record Low, But For How Long?
by Robert Sheenby Robert SheenIn 2008, Gallup—in conjunction with Healthways—started following health care insecurity, keeping track of affordability. Notably, this year marks an all-time low for health care insecurity since tracking began. Gallup-Healthways’ Well-Being Index, a survey …
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Affordable Care ActAIR
Breathe A Sigh Of Relief: AIR Is Still Available
by Robert Sheenby Robert SheenMany employers have struggled with their health care information reporting for the 2015 tax year. Those difficulties include confusing forms, tedious reporting processes, and technological setbacks. While penalties are perhaps …
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Affordable Care ActForm 1095-CHealth Care Coverage
Understanding Form 1095-C And What To Do About Errors
by Robert Sheenby Robert SheenFor many employers,Form 1095-C is a new document. It is the Employer-Provided Health Insurance Offer and Coverage form, used to report that you have offered health care to full-time employees. …
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Affordable Care ActPremium Tax CreditRegulationsShared Responsibility Payment
IRS Update: Premium Tax Credit And Shared Responsibility Payment
by Robert Sheenby Robert SheenNew regulations have arrived for the ACA’s Premium Tax Credit and Shared Responsibility Payment provisions. For the 2015 tax year, many employers and employees encountered difficulties with regard to the …
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Affordable Care ActHealth Insurance Marketplace
Marketplace Notices: They’re Not (Always) As Bad As You Think
by Robert Sheenby Robert SheenIn May, the ACA Times released an article detailing what exactly a notice from the Health Insurance Marketplace entails. As previously stated, this notice is to inform employers that one …
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Affordable Care ActHealth Care CoveragePenalties
ACA Modifications: We’re Not In 2010 Anymore
by Robert Sheenby Robert SheenWhen the Affordable Care Act (ACA) was first enacted in 2010, it was with the understanding that changes would be made to the ACA after the fact. Health care reform …
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Affordable Care ActHealth Care Coverage
Understanding Economic Realities Testing With Employee Misclassification
by Robert Sheenby Robert SheenThe roles of independent contractors and full-time employees were often ambiguous in the past, as arguably employers’ means of classification relied in how the job was done versus who was …