3 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 …
Health Care Coverage
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Affordable Care ActHealthcare
ACA and Healthcare Grow in Popularity as Midterms Draw Near
by Robert Sheenby Robert Sheen2 minute read: Studies show that voters have prioritized healthcare as a top issue to be addressed in the upcoming 2018 midterm elections in November. For the first time in …
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Affordable Care Act
Keep Tabs on Seasonal Workers and Employees to Avoid ACA IRS Penalties
by Robert Sheenby Robert Sheen3 minute read: Fast forward to summer 2020. You’re taking a nice stroll along the beach, not a care in the world. You feel your phone vibrate and notice you’re …
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ACA ReportingAffordable Care ActIRS
ACA Employer Mandate Poses IRS and U.S. GAAP Complications
by Robert Sheenby Robert Sheen4 minute read: Originally published on April 18,2018, in Accounting Today. In most organizations, the task of ensuring compliance with the Affordable Care Act lies with the Human Resources team. …
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ACA ComplianceAffordable Care Act
New CMS Rule Keeps ACA Employer Mandate Intact
by Robert Sheenby Robert Sheen3 minute read: The Center for Medicare and Medicaid (CMS) has issued a final rule to expand short-term insurance options for Americans as part of the federal government’s continuing campaign …
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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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ACA ComplianceACA ReportingIRS
Time to Check Your Work with IRS ACA Filing Deadline Approaching
by Robert Sheenby Robert Sheen3 minute read: The April 2 deadline is fast approaching for filing information related to the Affordable Care Act (ACA). Credit to your organization if it’s putting the finishing touches …
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Affordable Care ActHealth Insurance Marketplace
2018 Looks Promising for Health Insurers Offering Marketplace Plans [Update]
by Robert Sheenby Robert SheenThe Affordable Care Act’s (ACA) Health Insurance Marketplace has evolved over the years as a necessary evil for some healthcare providers. Some have withdrawn from it, citing profit losses and …
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Affordable Care ActHealth Care Coverage
IRS, CMS, EBSA Seek Public Comment on ACA Change
by Robert Sheenby Robert SheenThe IRS, the Employee Benefits Security Administration (EBSA), and the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) are seeking public comments on proposed regulations that would change the definition of …
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ACA ComplianceLawsuits
After Settlement Rejected, Dave & Buster’s Court Case Continues
by Robert Sheenby Robert SheenThe class action lawsuit filed in federal courts in New York’s Southern District against entertainment and restaurant chain Dave & Buster’s is continuing after the judge in the case rejected …
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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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If you haven’t filed your taxes yet, then you may have avoided having to file an amended return if you received a corrected 2017 Form 1095-A for the Healthcare Marketplace. …
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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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IRS 226J/226-JPremium Tax Credit
Employees Obtaining Premium Tax Credits Can Trigger IRS Letter 226J for Employers
by Robert Sheenby Robert SheenIndividual taxpayers who obtain Premium Tax Credits from the federal government to subsidize health insurance plans purchased on government healthcare exchanges under the Affordable Care Act (ACA) will be filing …
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ACA ReportingIRS
Less Than 30 Days to First IRS Filing Deadline for 2017 ACA Information
by Robert Sheenby Robert SheenWe are less than 30 days away from the first deadlines for filing Affordable Care Act (ACA) information for the 2017 tax year. How time flies! Here is who must …
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Affordable Care ActDepartment of Labor (DOL)
DOL Seeking Comments On Extending Association Health Plans
by Robert Sheenby Robert SheenUnder the Affordable Care Act (ACA), employers that do not meet the 50 or more full-time or full-time equivalent employee threshold to be Applicable Large Employers (ALEs) do not face …
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Affordable Care ActIRS 226J/226-J
Two Errors That Are Triggering ACA Employer Shared Responsibility Payments from the IRS
by Robert Sheenby Robert SheenSome trends are emerging on what is triggering the IRS to issue Letter 226J notices to organizations. Since November, the IRS has been sending notices to organizations that failed to …
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The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) has announced it is extending the deadline to enroll in health coverage through the Federal Health Insurance Exchange until March 31, 2018, …
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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
New Study Shows ACA Catalyst for Increase In Adolescent Annual Wellness Visits
by Robert Sheenby Robert SheenOne of the objectives of the Affordable Care Act (ACA) was to make it affordable for Americans of all ages to actively take part in preventative care, including adolescents. The …
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Health Care CoverageMedicaid
New Guidance on Medicaid May Lead to More Choice for Employers and Employees
by Robert Sheenby Robert SheenNew guidelines from the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) support efforts by certain individual states to test incentives that make participation in work or other community engagement a …
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Affordable Care ActHealth Care Coverage
Studies: ACA Has No Effect on Hours Worked [UPDATE]
by Robert Sheenby Robert SheenShortly after the passage the Affordable Care Act (ACA), some economists predicted that the law would cause employers to slash workweeks to less than 30 hours to avoid having to …
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ACA ComplianceEmployee Misclassification
Worker Misclassification Can Impact ACA Compliance
by Robert Sheenby Robert SheenOn December 31, 2017, the North Carolina Employee Fair Classification Act (EFCA) took effect. The new law allows for heightened investigations into those employers that are allegedly misclassifying their workers …
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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 ComplianceAffordable Care ActIRS
IRS Extension of Good Faith Relief is Good and Bad News
by Robert Sheenby Robert SheenAs the saying goes, I have some good news and some bad news. For the good news, the IRS has extended good faith relief for information-reporting requirements for the Affordable …
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Affordable Care ActIRS
IRS Extends 2018 ACA Deadline for Providing 1095-Cs to Employees
by Robert Sheenby Robert SheenThe IRS has extended the 2018 deadlines to provide 2017 health coverage information forms to individuals as required by Affordable Care Act (ACA). The information was included in a new …
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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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Affordable Care ActHealth Care Coverage
Some Americans Able to Sign Up for Insurance Under the ACA Past December 15 Deadline
by Robert Sheenby Robert SheenAs we wait for the latest statistics on the number of Americans who have signed up on government exchanges for healthcare insurance coverage for 2018, experts are predicting that the …
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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 ActHealth Care Coverage
The ACA Has Improved Healthcare In the United States
by Robert Sheenby Robert SheenThere is much political debate about whether the Affordable Care Act (ACA) has improved healthcare for Americans. The Wharton University scholarly podcast Knowledge@Wharton recently featured Wharton health care management professor …
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Affordable Care ActHealth Care Coverage
ACA Enrollment Continues at Faster Pace From Previous Year
by Robert Sheenby Robert SheenThey say that you don’t know what you’ve got till it’s gone, a theory that may be true for the Affordable Care Act (ACA). It was just months ago when …
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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 ActSmall Business Health Options Program (SHOP)
Free ACA Resources for Small Businesses
by Robert Sheenby Robert SheenThe federal government provides free online resources to help small businesses better understand the requirements of the Affordable Care Act (ACA) and how they might be able to offer health …
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Affordable Care ActHealth Care Coverage
Why It Matters That More People Signed Up for ACA Health Coverage In 2018
by Robert Sheenby Robert SheenIt was meant to have the opposite effect. The Trump administration’s decision to undermine the Affordable Care Act (ACA) by shortening the annual open enrollment period to 45-days and cutting …
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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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Are deadline extensions and reinstatement of penalty relief for the Affordable Care Act (ACA) in the cards for employers? The IRS Information Reporting Program Advisory Committee (IRPAC) has recommended the …
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Affordable Care ActHealth Care Coverage
New Kaiser Family Foundation Study Shows Number Of Uninsured In 2016
by Robert Sheenby Robert SheenWhen the Affordable Care Act (ACA) was first enacted in 2010, the mission was clear: provide affordable healthcare to the millions of Americans without it. Depending on who you speak …
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Affordable Care ActHealth Care Coverage
Efforts to Undermine the Start of Open Enrollment for 2018 Healthcare Coverage on November 1
by Robert Sheenby Robert SheenOpen enrollment for individuals to purchase healthcare coverage through government exchanges begins tomorrow and runs through December 15. Both advocates and opponents of the Affordable Care Act (ACA) are anxious …
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Affordable Care ActHealth Care Coverage
In Contrast to Federal Government, California Institutes New Laws to Bolster ACA
by Robert Sheenby Robert SheenWhile the White House and many Republicans in Washington, D.C., seem intent on undermining the Affordable Care Act (ACA), the statehouse in Sacramento is doing something to bolster it. The …
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Health Care CoveragePrescription Drugs
States Are Taking The Lead in Curbing Drug Costs
by Robert Sheenby Robert SheenStates are taking more aggressive action to curb drug costs. It’s self-preservation. Prescription drug expenditures are nearly 20 percent of U.S. health care costs. According to the National Academy for …
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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 …
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Affordable Care ActHealth Care Coverage
Temporary Shutdowns of Healthcare.gov Termed ACA Sabotage
by Robert Sheenby Robert SheenIt’s become a bit of a sport. Websites and media outlets are tracking ways that the Trump administration has been working to undermine the Affordable Care Act. Organizations such as …
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Affordable Care ActHealth Care Coverage
CHIP Reauthorization in Congressional Committees Sees Mixed Results
by Robert Sheenby Robert SheenThere were mixed results yesterday in Congress as Senate and House committees considered bills reauthorizing funding for the Children’s Health Insurance Program (CHIP). The program provided healthcare coverage to 8.9 …
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Health Care CoverageHealth Care Reform
Congress Not Delivering Yet on Public Priorities for Healthcare
by Robert Sheenby Robert SheenDespite a recent declaration that Congress will focus on tax reform, the need to address critical healthcare issues remains. A recent Kaiser Family Foundation (KFF) survey found that a large …