For the first time in more than a decade, Republican frontrunners eyeing the 2024 election aren’t campaigning for the elimination of the ACA. It’s a rather big shift from previous …
Healthcare
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Employers have long taken on the role of providing healthcare coverage for employees—it’s a highly valued benefit that can help employers stand out in competitive job markets. The advent of …
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Affordable Care Act
Reinsurance in Virginia: Navigating the Uncertainties and Implications
by Robert Sheenby Robert SheenIn the ever-evolving landscape of health insurance, Virginia finds itself at a pivotal crossroads. The recent inability of the Virginia General Assembly to reach a consensus on the reinsurance program …
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Affordable Care Act
Employers Investing More in ICHRAs Poses ACA Coding Risk
by Robert Sheenby Robert SheenAs the number of available healthcare coverage options increases, more and more employers are turning to individual coverage health reimbursement arrangements (ICHRAs). A relatively new player in the market, ICHRAs …
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Affordable Care ActHealth Care Coverage
California Passes New State-Wide Healthcare Individual Mandate
by Robert Sheenby Robert Sheen5 minute read: In early January, I wrote a blog post titled, “Will 2019 Be the Year for Statewide Individual Health Insurance Mandates?” More and more, it is appearing that …
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Affordable Care ActHealthcare
Open Enrollment Missing ACA Individual Mandate
by Robert Sheenby Robert Sheen3 minute read: The open enrollment period on HR.gov will run from November 1, 2018, to December 15, 2018, only 45 days, the same as the previous year’s open enrollment …
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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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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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Affordable Care ActHealth Care ReformHealth Insurance ExchangesLegislationPolitical Parties
Bipartisan Senate Bill Quietly Gaining Momentum
by Robert Sheenby Robert SheenA bipartisan Senate bill that would continue cost sharing payments to insurance companies and provide states more flexibility in addressing healthcare issues is quietly gaining momentum. The U.S. Senate’s Committee …
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Affordable Care ActHealthcareIRSPenaltiesTax Filings
Has the ACA Bettered the Language Barriers in Forms Reporting? We Asked a Professional
by Robert Sheenby Robert SheenOver the last few years, pocket neighborhoods of Spanish speaking individuals have produced significant language barriers when it comes to the Affordable Care Act (ACA). Many whose primary language is …
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Affordable Care ActHealthcare
Increases in Employee Healthcare Costs Pushing Businesses to Innovative Solutions to Lower Costs
by Robert Sheenby Robert SheenThe Affordable Care Act (ACA) has helped more Americans obtain health insurance than ever before. Most of the discussion around issues with the ACA has focused on the individual market …
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The Affordable Care Act (ACA) has made significant strides in making healthcare affordable thanks to subsidies like Premium Tax Credits (PTCs), but that assistance can ultimately affect tax liability. At …
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Affordable Care ActHealth Care Reform
U.S. Senate Committee Continues Healthcare Hearings Today After Hearing From Governors Last Week
by Robert Sheenby Robert SheenThe U.S. Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor and Pensions continues its hearings on healthcare policy today. The committee will hear testimony today on providing states greater flexibility in managing …
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ACA ReformHealthcare
U.S. Senate Committee Starts Hearings Today on Bipartisan Approach to Fixing the ACA
by Robert Sheenby Robert SheenThe U.S. Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor and Pensions will start deliberations on a bipartisan bill to address issues with the Affordable Care Act (ACA) aimed at shoring up …
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Affordable Care ActHealthcare
How Will a New Era of Healthcare Entrepreneurs Be Impacted by the ACA?
by Robert Sheenby Robert SheenAt some point, the gig economy was bound to expand into industries most never imagined. With the growing rate of Americans taking on some form of a job within the …
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HealthcareLegislation
New Ambitious Bill Proposes to Legalize Marijuana Across The Nation
by Robert Sheenby Robert SheenOne of the long running controversies in America is whether marijuana should be legalized. A new bill introduced by New Jersey Democratic Senator Cory Booker proposes to legalize marijuana on …
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Affordable Care ActHealth Care CoveragePolitical PartiesPolls/Surveys
Americans on the ACA this Election Season
by Robert Sheenby Robert SheenAs November looms overhead with the 2016 Presidential election, new issues continue to arise—namely, the afterthought of the importance of health care for Americans. While Americans rank health care …
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Affordable Care ActTax Filings
IRS Electronic Filing: It’s Not As Simple As You Think
by Robert Sheenby Robert SheenFor many employers, the 2015 tax season included new health care documentation under the Affordable Care Act with regard to employees. Forms such as 1094-C and 1095-C apply directly to …
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ACA ComplianceAffordable Care Act
The DO’s and DON’Ts Of ACA Compliance
by Robert Sheenby Robert SheenThe Affordable Care Act (ACA) has undoubtedly affected most companies and their move toward organization to address the ACA. Although more businesses may become familiar to the mandates proposed by …
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Health Care CoverageTax Filings
Health Coverage Information Returns: A Key Date Calendar
by Robert Sheenby Robert SheenWhile many if not most of the 2015 tax season deadlines have already passed, some information-filing deadlines are steadily approaching. Some have been already been extended, including the deadline for …
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Affordable Care ActHealth Insurance Marketplace
How Would A Withdrawal from the ACA Marketplaces by United Healthcare Affect Us In 2017?
by Robert Sheenby Robert SheenThe Affordable Care Act is not entirely a fan favorite among some health care providers, at least as far as UnitedHealth Group is concerned. In a report released by the …
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Affordable Care ActHealth Care CoverageMedicaid/Medicare
Health Crisis Likely in Miami-Dade
by Robert Sheenby Robert SheenAccess to health care is more than just ordinary preventative care and occasional treatment: it’s also preventing a health crisis. As Florida’s Miami-Dade County sees large numbers of its residents …
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Health Care Coverage
New Updates To Premium Tax Credit Affect Personal Contributions
by Robert Sheenby Robert SheenWhen it comes to the Premium Tax Credit, it’s a matter of numbers. The credit was designed for low to moderate-income individuals and families in an effort to assist them …
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Affordable Care ActHealth Care Coverage
Health Care Careers More Desirable Thanks To Affordable Care Act
by Robert Sheenby Robert SheenOne of the greatest achievements of the Obama Administration was slashing the unemployment rate and creating tens of millions of jobs for Americans. In a recently released job report, jobs …
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Affordable Care ActHealth Care Coverage
The Small Business Health Care Tax Credit: A Checklist
by Robert Sheenby Robert SheenThe Small Business Health Care Tax Credit was designed for small business owners with 25 of fewer full-time employees and equivalents in an effort to provide health care coverage for …
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Affordable Care ActHealth Insurance Marketplace
Huffington Post Analyzes ACA, Provides Suggestions On Improvement
by Robert Sheenby Robert SheenAs the Affordable Care Act continues to build in momentum, many have dissected the bill and come to a series of possible improvements for the ACA. In an article printed …
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Health Care Coverage
Congressional Budget Office Releases 10-Year Health Care Breakdown For Citizens 65 And Under
by Robert Sheenby Robert SheenThe Congressional Budget Office (CBO) has released a report, detailing a ten-year plan on Health Insurance for those 65 and under from 2016 through 2026. The 40-page report discusses the …
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Affordable Care ActHealth Care Coverage
Health Benefits Offer Rates: Fact And Figures
by Robert Sheenby Robert SheenThe Kaiser Family Foundation released a report that detailed the rates of health benefits offered to individuals. In 1999, 66% of firms offered health benefits to their employees, and that …
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ACA ComplianceAffordable Care Act
Employer Shared Responsibility Payment Checklist
by Robert Sheenby Robert SheenThe Affordable Care Act was implemented as a move to provide widespread health care coverage to all Americans. Under this law, Applicable Large Employers (ALE) must offer health coverage to …
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Affordable Care ActHealth Care CoverageUninsured
The Surprising Reason Why Minority Children Are Less Likely To Have Health Care
by Robert Sheenby Robert SheenPrior to the Affordable Care Act, programs like Medicaid and Children’s Health Insurance Program (CHIP) were already in place to provide health coverage for underprivileged youth. However, a significant gap …
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Affordable Care ActHealth Care CoverageRegulations
Is Individual Shared Responsibility Your Responsibility?
by Robert Sheenby Robert SheenSince the implementation of the Affordable Care Act, the goal in mind is to ensure that every American has received or has been given access to adequate health coverage. While …
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Affordable Care ActApplicable Large Employer (ALE)Health Care CoverageTax Filings
Quick Tips: Managing Your Health Insurance Docs
by Robert Sheenby Robert SheenAs you prepare your 2015 tax return, keep in mind that new health insurance coverage documents may reach your mailbox this year that you hadn’t seen previously. As the Affordable …
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When it comes to health care, many view it as a luxury rather than necessity. Health care is one “luxury,” that if given the option of having less of in …
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Affordable Care ActHealth Care CoverageLegislationPolitical PartiesPolls/Surveys
Voters Say The ACA Is Not a Key Issue
by Robert Sheenby Robert SheenWhile 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 …
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Affordable Care ActPolls/SurveysRegulations
Medicaid Enrollment and Efficiency Are Improving
by Robert Sheenby Robert SheenState Medicaid and children’s health insurance programs have become significantly more efficient in their operations and more effective at enrolling those who qualify for coverage. As a result, more people …
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A year after federal regulators barred employers from offering so-called “skinny” Affordable Care Act health plans that did not pay for hospital stays, some employers are presenting workers with plans …
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Affordable Care ActPolls/Surveys
High Deductibles Don’t Promote Price Shopping
by Robert Sheenby Robert SheenWill consumers make more cost-effective choices of health services and doctors if they are spending their own money? Common sense suggests they would, but researchers have found that consumers don’t …
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Health Care CoveragePrescription Drugs
Drug Makers Continue To Raise Prices
by Robert Sheenby Robert SheenDespite criticism from patients, insurers and lawmakers, pharmaceutical companies have continued to increase the cost of drugs, with many hiking prices by 10% or more just before or after the New Year. …
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Affordable Care ActHealth Care Coverage
Study: ACA Has No Effect on Hours Worked
by Robert Sheenby Robert SheenShortly after the passage the Affordable Care Act, many economists predicted that the law would cause employers to slash workweeks to less than 30 hours, to avoid having to provide …
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Affordable Care ActApplicable Large Employer (ALE)Health Care Coverage
Are You an Applicable Large Employer?
by Robert Sheenby Robert SheenBecause an applicable large employer (ALE) is subject to the Affordable Care Act’s requirements for information reporting and the health law’s employer shared responsibility provisions, the IRS has provided a …
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More than 83,000 consumers selected Affordable Care Act health care plans through the Healthcare.gov online marketplace during the ninth week of open enrollment, according to the “weekly snapshot report” issued …
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Affordable Care ActHealth Care CoverageRegulations
The ACA Individual Mandate and Your Tax Return
by Robert Sheenby Robert SheenThe Affordable Care Act requires individuals, their spouses and dependents to have qualifying health care coverage for each month of the year; to qualify for a health coverage exemption; or …
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One in five (20%) working-age Americans with health insurance say problems paying medical bills often force them to work longer hours, take a second job, spend less on food, use …
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Nearly 275,000 consumers selected health care plans through the Healthcare.gov online marketplace during the eighth week of open enrollment, according to the “weekly snapshot report” issued by the Department of …
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Affordable Care ActHealth Care CoverageIRS
Reporting Deadlines Extended
by Robert Sheenby Robert SheenThe IRS has extended by almost two months the due date for providing employees with Affordable Care Act information forms, and provided an extra three months for filing the required …
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Affordable Care ActHealth Care Coverage
Medicaid and ACA Split the GOP
by Robert Sheenby Robert SheenRepublicans in Congress are finding themselves in the awkward position of arguing against the Affordable Care Act and its expansion of Medicaid coverage at the same time that Republican governors …
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Affordable Care ActHealth Care CoverageIRSTax Filings
About The New ACA Information Statements
by Robert Sheenby Robert SheenRecognizing that many individuals will receive new ACA information statements for the first time in 2016, the IRS issued a memo aimed at helping consumers understand the documents. The explanation …
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Affordable Care ActHealth Care Coverage
Medical Expenses a Burden for Low-Income Insureds
by Robert Sheenby Robert SheenThe combined costs of premiums, deductibles and out-of-pocket expenses can exceed 20% of household income for some low-income individuals who purchase health insurance through an Affordable Care Act exchange, a …
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Affordable Care ActHealth Care CoverageTax Filings
The Information Employers Must Provide, and When
by Robert Sheenby Robert SheenThe IRS reminds employers that, beginning in 2016, the Affordable Care Act requires them and other providers of minimum essential coverage to report certain information about employees’ health coverage in …
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Affordable Care ActHealth Care Coverage
1.3 Million Sign Up in Week 6
by Robert Sheenby Robert SheenMore than 1.3 million consumers signed up for health coverage through the Healthcare.gov online marketplace during the sixth week of open enrollment, according to the “weekly snapshot report” issued by …