3 minute read: President Joe Biden nominated California’s Attorney General Xavier Becerra, a known supporter of the ACA, as the new Health and Human Services (HHS) Secretary. On March 18, …
Congress
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3 minute read: Since the Biden Administration took office a few weeks ago, changes to help bolster the Affordable Care Act are already underway. President Joe Biden has already signed …
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Affordable Care Act
California Individual Mandate Penalties Will be Issued in 2021
by Robert Sheenby Robert Sheen3 minute read: State residents of California who failed to obtain health coverage during the 2020 tax year could see a penalty notice from the state as a part of …
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Affordable Care Act
ACA Improvements to Expect from the Biden Administration
by Robert Sheenby Robert Sheen3 minute read: The inauguration welcoming president-elect Joe Biden to the White House is imminent and with the recent shift in majority control of the Senate, we can expect a …
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Affordable Care Act
PPP Loans Are Now Available, Both First Draw and Second Draw PPP Loans
by Robert Sheenby Robert Sheen2 minute read: Last Friday, the Small Business Administration (SBA) announced that the Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) will reopen this week with First Draw PPP loans to be available starting …
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Affordable Care Act
Democrats Gain Senate, Paving the Way for Biden’s ACA Agenda
by Robert Sheenby Robert Sheen3 minute read: The results from last week’s Senate runoff race in Georgia have given Democrats control of the Senate, paving the way for Joe Biden’s presidency and his agenda …
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3 minute read: As the fourth quarter of 2020 draws near, so does the presidential election. A popular topic of debate to be addressed in the coming election is healthcare, …
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Affordable Care Act
IRS Releases New ACA Filing Information for the 2020 Tax Year
by Robert Sheenby Robert Sheen2 minute read: The IRS has published various Affordable Care Act Information Returns (AIRs) documents for the 2020 tax year with which employers will need to familiarize themselves before electronically …
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2 minute read: New IRS guidance addresses the intersection of COVID-19, Medicaid, and the Affordable Care Act (ACA). In a bid to increase COVID-19 testing in the U.S., one facet …
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2 minute read: In another court victory for the Affordable Care Act (ACA), a federal appellate court ruled in Texas v. Rettig that a provision of the ACA that imposes …
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2 minute read: Washington DC is one of several jurisdictions to have implemented an individual mandate in the wake of Congress zeroing out the federal ACA penalty for individuals who …
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1 minute read: On April 30, 2020 the IRS recently issued IRS Notice 2020-32. This Notice discusses the tax deductibility status of expenses that are forgiven under the Paycheck Protection …
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Affordable Care Act
ACA to Remain Following Fifth Circuit Court Decision
by Robert Sheenby Robert Sheen2 minute read: On Wednesday of this week, the Fifth Circuit handed down a ruling regarding the constitutionality of the Affordable Care Act. The majority of the ACA will continue …
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1 minute read: The IRS has released Notice 2019-50, which outlines the Applicable Fee amount for the 2020 tax year. This is the fee to be charged to health insurance …
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2 minute read: The Affordable Care Act has seemed to turn the corner. On a number of fronts, it appears that the ACA is now being accepted as a beneficial …
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ACA ComplianceHealth Care Coverage
California Carries the Torch for State-Based Individual Mandates
by Robert Sheenby Robert Sheen2 minute read: California Governor Gavin Newsom has not wasted time wading into the healthcare debate. The governor has proposed an individual mandate requiring all California residents to obtain health …
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ACA Compliance
ACA Compliance Should Continue Despite Government Shutdown
by Robert Sheenby Robert Sheen2 minute read: As we enter the third week of government shutdown, we’re on track to surpass the longest shutdown in U.S. history. The shutdown affects many government agencies, including …
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Affordable Care Act
Latest Court Ruling Will Not Stop ACA Enforcement
by Robert Sheenby Robert Sheen3 minute read: Here we go again. Another attack on the Affordable Care Act that will cause employers to think that the law and its Employer Mandate to provide health …
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Affordable Care ActHealth Insurance Marketplace
More Insurers Will Participate in the ACA Marketplace in 2019
by Robert Sheenby Robert Sheen3 minute read: It was predicted that the health insurance marketplace would be turned upside down with the individual mandate penalty effectively reduced to $0 beginning January 1,2019. However, that …
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Affordable Care ActHealth Care Coverage
ACA Support May Dictate Midterm Election Results
by Robert Sheenby Robert Sheen2 minute read: Americans across the country will report to their respective poll places to cast their ballots in the midterm elections on November 6, and the issue of healthcare …
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Affordable Care Act
ACA Popularity Remains Strong as Midterms Approach
by Robert Sheenby Robert Sheen2 minute read: The midterm elections are less than a month away on November 6. With an estimated 20 million Americans at risk of losing health coverage if the ACA …
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ACA ReportingAffordable Care ActIRS
Expect the IRS to Start Issuing ACA Penalties for 2016 Tax Year in November
by Robert Sheenby Robert Sheen3 minute read: As November approaches, two things seem certain. There will be national midterm elections and the IRS will begin issuing Letter 226J penalty notices to employers identified as …
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Affordable Care ActHealth Care Coverage
The Affordable Care Act, and Why You Can’t Afford to Ignore It [UPDATE]
by Robert Sheenby Robert Sheen5 minute read: It’s always interesting to look back and see how the contours of a law changes in time. The Affordable Care Act (ACA) is no exception. I wrote …
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Affordable Care ActElectionHealthcare
Midterm Elections Won’t Affect the Employer Mandate
by Robert Sheenby Robert Sheen2 minute read: Since President Trump took office, a top priority has been to repeal and replace the Affordable Care Act (ACA) and his administration continues its attempts to undermine …
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Affordable Care ActHealth Care Coverage
More Americans Paying for ACA Health Plans
by Robert Sheenby Robert Sheen2 minute read: It’s no secret that replacing the law is a top priority for President Trump and a majority of Republicans in Congress. Recent data from the Centers for …
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ACA ComplianceAffordable Care ActHealth Care Coverage
Proposed Farm Bill Another Attempt to Undermine ACA
by Robert Sheenby Robert Sheen3 minute read: It’s well known that the Trump administration is doing all it can to undermine the Affordable Care Act. The recent decision by the federal Justice Department to …
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Health Care Coverage
Proposed California Bill Puts the State in Charge of Healthcare Costs
by Robert Sheenby Robert Sheen2 minute read: As the current White House and Congressional Republicans continue to snipe at the Affordable Care Act, some states are taking action to shore up the federal healthcare …
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ACA ReportingAffordable Care ActIRS
IRS Confirms Continued Enforcement of ACA Employer Mandate [UPDATE]
by Robert Sheenby Robert Sheen3 minute read: The evidence continues to mount that the employer mandate in the Affordable Care Act is not going away soon, if ever. And the process of the IRS …
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Affordable Care ActHealth Care Coverage
ACA Complexity to Grow as States Develop Their Own Healthcare Solutions [UPDATE]
by Robert Sheenby Robert Sheen5 minute read: The many false starts of the Republican-led effort to dismantle the Affordable Care Act (ACA), along with the Trump administration’s continued efforts to undermine the healthcare law, …
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Affordable Care Act
Organizations Ignoring the ACA are at Financial Risk
by Robert Sheenby Robert Sheen5 minute read: It’s hard to believe, but many organizations continue to be in denial about their need to comply with the Affordable Care Act (ACA). Time and time again …
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Affordable Care ActIRS
More Signs Pointing to Continued IRS Enforcement of the ACA [UPDATE]
by Robert Sheenby Robert SheenAs we look forward to the start of spring, all signs are pointing to the IRS continuing its efforts to enforce the Affordable Care Act (ACA). A new wave of …
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Affordable Care ActHealth Care CoverageHealth Insurance Marketplace
2018 Affordable Care Act Enrollment Shows Marketplace Stabilizing
by Robert Sheenby Robert SheenThe Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) plan to release a more detailed 2018 enrollment report in March for the recent open enrollment under the Affordable Care Act, including …
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Affordable Care ActHealth Care Coverage
Masshealth Changes Come With a Hefty Price Tag For Employers [UPDATE]
by Robert Sheenby Robert SheenWhile healthcare continues to be talked about by the federal government, some state governments are taking steps of their own to shore up the Affordable Care Act (ACA) impact on …
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ACA ReportingIRS
Expect IRS to Enforce the ACA’S Individual and Employer Mandates [UPDATE]
by Robert Sheenby Robert SheenThe approval of tax reform legislation by Congress may ultimately have an impact on the Affordable Care Act (ACA) in 2019. That’s when the legislation essentially repeals the individual mandate …
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Affordable Care ActHealth Care CoverageHealth Insurance Marketplace
ACA Health Insurance Marketplace May Stabilize In 2018
by Robert Sheenby Robert SheenIt’s been a tumultuous year for the Affordable Care Act (ACA). From insurers withdrawing from providing health insurance on government exchanges to spiking premiums in the face of financial losses …
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Affordable Care ActHealthcare
Individual Healthcare Mandate Being Considered in Maryland [UPDATE]
by Robert Sheenby Robert SheenSenate Republicans added repeal of the ACA’s individual mandate to the Senate’s tax reform bill to save nearly $340 billion in federal funds during the next decade to mitigate increases …
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Affordable Care ActHealth Care Coverage
The Affordable Care Act Has Helped Millions, But There’s More Work To Do
by Robert Sheenby Robert SheenIn 2010, former President Barack Obama introduced the Affordable Care Act (ACA) in an effort to provide more Americans with health coverage. Over the course of its now-nearly eight-year run, …
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Affordable Care ActHealth Care Coverage
As Congress Moves To Remove Individual Mandate, States Seek Their Own Version
by Robert Sheenby Robert SheenIt was a decade ago when Massachusettsimplemented its own individual mandate that required state residents to obtain health insurance or face financial ramifications. Nationwide, that rule became the framework of …
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Affordable Care ActIRS 226J/226-J
Despite Tax Reform, Expect IRS to Enforce the ACA’s Individual and Employer Mandates
by Robert Sheenby Robert SheenThe approval of tax reform legislation by Congress may ultimately have an impact on the Affordable Care Act (ACA) in 2019. That’s when the legislation essentially repeals the individual mandate …
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Affordable Care ActHealth Care Coverage
2018 Enrollment in Affordable Care Act Shows Americans’ Support
by Robert Sheenby Robert SheenOpen enrollment to obtain insurance starting on January 2018 under the Affordable Care Act (ACA) ended on December 15 with more than 8.7 million Americans signing up for coverage, according …
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ACA ComplianceTax Reform
ACA Individual Mandate is Set to be Gone, but Desire for Health Insurance Remains
by Robert Sheenby Robert SheenAs part of tax reform legislation passed by Congress, the individual mandate provision in the ACA requiring every American citizen to obtain health insurance or pay an annual financial penalty …
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The late Kenneth J. Arrow, Nobel-winning economist and one of the most brilliant minds of the 20th century, would be dismayed at action being taken by Republicans in Congress to …
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Affordable Care ActIRS
The IRS Issues Guidance on the ACA’s Individual Mandate While Congress Looks to Repeal It
by Robert Sheenby Robert SheenDuring 2017, the IRS has steadfastly avoided being swayed by the political breezes, even when they seemed to reach hurricane-level velocity. When President Trump and Republicans in Congress were readying …
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As we enter into the annual Thanksgiving break, there is much to be thankful for. Most lists will include giving thanks for family, friends, and employment. And almost 1.5 million …
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Affordable Care ActHealth Insurance Marketplace
The Healthcare Marketplace is Stabilizing Around the ACA
by Robert Sheenby Robert SheenWe are well into open enrollment period for the Affordable Care Act (ACA). Despite significant increases in premium rates for 2018, enrollment for healthcare coverage on HealthCare.gov is higher than …
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Affordable Care ActIRS
IRS Roundup: What You Need to Know About the IRS and the Affordable Care Act
by Robert Sheenby Robert SheenOver the past few months, the IRS has been moving forward with preparations for the ACA-mandated filings for the 2017 tax reporting year. Here’s what we know so far about …
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Affordable Care Act
With ACA Open Enrollment Weeks Away, Trump Cancellation of CSR Payments Not Deterring Insurers
by Robert Sheenby Robert SheenPerhaps only time will tell if President Trump can succeed where Republicans in Congress have failed to obliterate the Affordable Care Act (ACA). The President’s ambitious attempts to derail the …
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ACA ReformAffordable Care Act
Back to Congress: Changes to Modify the ACA to Continue Subsidy Payments to Insurers to Stabilize Insurance Markets Are Still In Play
by Robert Sheenby Robert SheenBipartisan discussions spearheaded by the U.S. Senate’s Committee on Health, Education, Labor and Pensions may lead to legislation that will continue cost-sharing reduction (CSR) payments to insurance companies providing health …
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Affordable Care Act
New White House Executive Order Doesn’t Change ACA Employer Mandate
by Robert Sheenby Robert SheenThe Executive Order directed at the Affordable Care Act (ACA) that was signed by President Trump last week addresses three areas he claims will expand healthcare choices to Americans. The …
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The latest news surrounding our nation’s healthcare has kept many on the edges of their seats, but for the moment, those who most benefit from the Affordable Care Act can …