Earlier this month the Supreme Court issued its decision to uphold the ACA, dismissing the challengers who asserted it was unconstitutional. So, what happens next? Now that the healthcare law…
COVID-19
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Affordable Care Act
Recapping on Biden’s ACA Reforms, What Employers Need to Know
by Robert Sheenby Robert Sheen3 minute read: Since Biden took office on January 20, 2021, several advancements to the Affordable Care Act followed, so we thought it best to recap on the ACA reforms…
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Affordable Care Act
Employers May Face Additional Challenges with 2020 ACA Reporting
by Robert Sheenby Robert Sheen3 minute read: With the 2020 ACA filing deadlines fast approaching, employers will be met with additional reporting challenges due in large part to the COVID-19 pandemic. From determining full-time…
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Affordable Care Act
Taxpayers (Including Employers) Have the Right to Challenge the IRS
by Robert Sheenby Robert SheenThe IRS has a Taxpayer Bill of Rights, which includes a section stating every taxpayer’s “right to challenge the IRS’s position and be heard.” These fundamental rights apply to all…
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Affordable Care Act
Wage Fixing Indictment Has Implications for Employers
by Robert Sheenby Robert Sheen3 minute read: A recent federal wage-fixing indictment against the former owner of a health care staffing company indicates that the Department of Justice’s Antitrust Division is taking a closer…
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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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3 minute read: On December 1, 2020, the IRS announced updates to the services it will be processing as a part of its mission-critical functions. Among the processes are ACA…
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2 minute read: On November 2, 2020, the IRS announced several changes to its collection procedures to assist struggling taxpayers impacted by COVID-19. These changes include: Taxpayers who qualify for…
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3 minute read: Heading into Election Day, a record-breaking one million Americans cast their ballots early, creating a myriad of potential challenges for determining a clear victor in the 2020…
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Affordable Care Act
Lower ACA Premiums Heading into Open Enrollment for 2021
by Chris Areyby Chris Arey3 minute read: The Healthcare.gov open enrollment period for the 2021 tax year will begin on November 1, 2020, and will run through December 15. Surprisingly, premiums are down and…
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Affordable Care Act
D.C. Upholds Health Carrier Tax, Supporting ACA Health Exchanges
by Chris Areyby Chris Arey3 minute read: An argument regarding the District of Columbia’s ACA health exchange tax was decided late last month. The decision rules in favor of the tax, supporting state-run health…
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Affordable Care Act
Possible ACA Outcomes If Joe Biden Is Elected in November
by Chris Areyby Chris Arey2 minute read: With the 2020 presidential election a few short weeks out, it’s incredibly important that voters understand what Joe Biden versus Donald Trump will do to the ACA…
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2 minute read: “What exactly is Form 1095-C?” It’s a question that employers often ask when they’re first introduced to the responsibilities of the ACA’s Employer Mandate. In this post,…
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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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Affordable Care ActHealth Care Coverage
ACA to Aid Millions in Obtaining Healthcare, KFF Report Finds
by Robert Sheenby Robert Sheen2 minute read: The data is in: at least 27 million Americans have lost employer-sponsored health coverage as a result of COVID-19. The Kaiser Family Foundation issued a report in…
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Affordable Care Act
SBA Posts New Interim Rule on SBA Loan Review Decisions Under the Paycheck Protection Program (PPP)
2 minute read: On August 12, 2020, the Small Business Association (SBA) issued a new interim final rule that provides guidance for borrowers and lenders on the appeal procedure for…
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ACA ComplianceAffordable Care Act
New Jersey Adopts ACA Provision to Lower Healthcare Costs
by Robert Sheenby Robert Sheen3 minute read: Earlier this month, New Jersey signed into law a state version of an Affordable Care Act provision, the Health Insurance Assessment (HIA) program. New Jersey is the…
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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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Affordable Care Act
ACA Compliance Responsibilities Could Increase if the Federal Government Adopts the ABC Test for Employee Misclassification
3 minute read: A tsunami for the gig economy may be coming on the horizon. We have written recently about the ongoing issues that gig economy employers, such as Uber…
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3 minute read: In yet another triumphant win for the Affordable Care Act, the state of Missouri approved and passed the expansion of Medicaid. The expansion comes after nearly 53%…
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Affordable Care Act
SBA Releases FAQs on Loan Forgiveness Under the Paycheck Protection Program (PPP)
1 minute read: On August 4, 2020, the Small Business Association (SBA) released 10 pages of FAQs pertaining to loan forgiveness under the Paycheck Protection Program (PPP). The PPP is…
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Affordable Care Act
New Senate Bill Seeks to Enhance the Employee Retention Credit Under the CARES Act
2 minute read: The Senate recently introduced new legislation to further assist in the continuing COVID-19 pandemic, including the American Workers, Families and Employer Assistance Act. Under this Senate Bill,…
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Affordable Care Act
Gig-Economy Worker Benefits Will Affect ACA Compliance
by Robert Sheenby Robert Sheen3 minute read: It’s no mystery that both companies and consumers benefit from the gig-economy, but what about the workers? Sure, it provides a means to an end, but workers…
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2 minute read: House of Representative Democrats have unveiled a bill that would enhance many of the ACA’s components while reversing much of the Trump administration’s onslaught to the healthcare…
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Affordable Care Act
ACA’s Expansion of Medicaid Takes Hold in Oklahoma
by Robert Sheenby Robert Sheen3 minute read: In late June, Oklahoma joined 37 other states and the District of Columbia in expanding Medicaid under the ACA. Better late than never and in good timing…
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Affordable Care Act
Californians Beware, The Individual ACA Penalty Has Increased
by Robert Sheenby Robert Sheen2 minute read: California residents that fail to obtain qualified health coverage this year will receive a penalty from the state for an amount larger than first projected. Per California’s…
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2 minute read: Employers should start gearing up for IRS penalty letters issued under the Affordable Care Act. According to an announcement posted on the IRS website, the IRS has…
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1 minute read: President signed legislation (S.4116) on the Fourth of July extending the deadline to apply for the Paycheck Protection Program (PPP). Now, small employers now have until August…
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Affordable Care Act
As Businesses Reopen during the Pandemic, They Need to Think About How to Bring Their Workers Back Safely
3 minute read: We already discussed that as states go through their re-opening processes in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic bring their employees back to work, in addition to…
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Affordable Care Act
As Employers Bring Workers back during the Pandemic, They Need to Think about their Potential Liability Exposure
2 minute read: As states go through their re-opening processes in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic, many employers have begun opening their offices and bringing their employees back to…
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1 minute read: On June 8, 2020, the Federal Reserve Board expanded its Main Street Lending Program to include more small and medium sized businesses. See here. Changes to the…
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2 minute read: The IRS recently issued proposed regulations on how the personal tax exemption reduction to “0” will affect qualifications for recipients of Premium Tax Credits (PTCs). Regulation 124810-19,…
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Affordable Care ActHealth Care Coverage
ACA’s Expansion of Medicaid Key Player for Providing Health Coverage Amid COVID-19
by Robert Sheenby Robert Sheen2 minute read: By now it’s become abundantly clear how important it is for individuals to have health coverage. COVID-19 or not, healthcare is saving lives and the ACA has…
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3 minute read: If you are a U.S. business, there is a good chance that one or more of your employees have taken emergency paid sick leave. Such leaves may…
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Affordable Care Act
Why CMS’s 2021 Payment Notice May Lead to More PTC Allocations
by Robert Sheenby Robert Sheen2 minute read: Back in March, the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) issued the Notice of Benefit and Payment Parameters for 2021 (2021 Payment Notice). The rule includes…
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2 minute read: In the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic, the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) has instituted a number of important adjustments to employee benefits plan compliance rules. Recently, the…
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Affordable Care Act
Employers May See More ACA Penalties As a Result of COVID-19
by Robert Sheenby Robert Sheen2 minute read: A new data analysis report from the Kaiser Family Foundation (KFF) finds the vast majority of Americans who lost their job amid COVID-19will be eligible for government…
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Affordable Care Act
Know your Tax Relief and ACA Compliance Obligations during the Pandemic: California Governor’s Executive Order brings Property Tax penalty Relief
2 minute read: On May 6, 2020 California Governor Gavin Newsom issued Executive Order N-61-20 providing some property tax penalty relief to individual and small business taxpayer’s who have been…
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ACA ComplianceACA ReportingAffordable Care Act
ACA Penalties to Continue with the IRS Returning to Work
by Robert Sheenby Robert Sheen2 minute read: As states begin to lift their shelter-in-place orders and begin plans to re-open, employers should take note of recent IRSactivity, as the agency is expediting its efforts…
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ACA ComplianceACA ReportingAffordable Care Act
Workforce Changes Now Will Affect ACA Reporting Later
by Robert Sheenby Robert Sheen3 minute read: Several weeks into quarantine and social distancing, many are wondering when the country will reopen. As of April 20, 42 states had placed shelter in place orders.…
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Affordable Care Act
Returning to Work: Rehiring Employees After COVID-19 and the Impact on ACA Compliance
4 minute read: As states begin to relax their stay at home orders and businesses look to reopen post COVID-19 Pandemic, Employers should start thinking about how bringing back furloughed…
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2 minute read: The Affordable Care Act chalked up a win in late April when the Supreme Court ordered the federal government to pay insurance companies funding it’s been entitled…
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1 minute read: On April 9, 2020, the IRS issued Notice 2020-23 to provide relief relating to certain deadlines for taxpayers in response to the March 13, 2020 emergency declaration…
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Affordable Care Act
Paycheck Protection Program Gets a $310 Billion Infusion to Help Small Businesses Through Coronavirus Pandemic
2 minute read: On April 24, 2020, the Paycheck Protection Program and Health Care Enhancement Act was signed into law (the “Act”). Among its key provisions is the infusion of…
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Affordable Care Act
Potential ACA Relief for Employers Facing COVID-19 Hardship
by Robert Sheenby Robert Sheen2 minute read: As the COVID-19 global health pandemic continues to affect businesses large and small, employers must still comply with the requirements of the ACA’s Employer Mandate. As a…
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2 minute read: While Trump Administration shot down the idea of a special ACA enrollment period to help individuals who have lost their coverage due to the COVID-19 Pandemic, states…
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4 minute read: Many employers and individuals are understandably concerned about how to navigate the difficult business environment created by the COVID-19 Pandemic and resulting state and federal mitigation measures.…
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2 minute read: Many employers are understandably concerned about how to navigate the difficult business environment created by the COVID-19 Pandemic and resulting state and federal mitigation measures. Below is…