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Tag "Legislation"
Is Maryland the Next State to Approve an Individual Mandate?
3 minute read: Maryland is getting closer to a state-wide version of an individual mandate that will encourage state residents to purchase health insurance. A bill in the Maryland legislature, Read More
The ACA Remains Popular
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 Read More
Will 2019 be the Year for Statewide Individual Health Insurance Mandates?
3 minute read: Since the Trump Administration took office, the ACA has been under fire from the White House and many Congressional Republicans. Legislative repeal of the ACA failed. However, Read More
Insurers Plan ACA Expansion for 2019
2 minute read: There has been a lot of talk about the future of the Affordable Care Act (ACA). With the midterm elections coming soon, Americans have stated that healthcare Read More
Despite Presidential Rhetoric, ACA Employer Mandate Still Here
2 minute read: The Trump Administration has been vocal about what it believes are its successful efforts to repeal and replace the Affordable Care Act (ACA). At a recent campaign Read More
Proposed Farm Bill Another Attempt to Undermine ACA
3 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 Read More
Proposed California Bill Puts the State in Charge of Healthcare Costs
2 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 Read More![IRS Confirms Continued Enforcement of ACA Employer Mandate [UPDATE]](https://acatimes.com/wp-content/uploads/AdobeStock_182098756_1280px-269x180_c.jpg)
IRS Confirms Continued Enforcement of ACA Employer Mandate [UPDATE]
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 Read More
Organizations Ignoring the ACA are at Financial Risk
5 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 Read More![More Signs Pointing to Continued IRS Enforcement of the ACA [UPDATE]](https://acatimes.com/wp-content/uploads/AdobeStock_13386609_1280px-269x180_c.jpg)
More Signs Pointing to Continued IRS Enforcement of the ACA [UPDATE]
As 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 Read More
2018 Affordable Care Act Enrollment Shows Marketplace Stabilizing
The 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 Read More![Masshealth Changes Come With a Hefty Price Tag For Employers [UPDATE]](https://acatimes.com/wp-content/uploads/AdobeStock_184492264_1280px-269x180_c.jpg)
Masshealth Changes Come With a Hefty Price Tag For Employers [UPDATE]
While 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 Read More![Expect IRS to Enforce the ACA’S Individual and Employer Mandates [UPDATE]](https://acatimes.com/wp-content/uploads/AdobeStock_154583992_1280px-269x180_c.jpg)
Expect IRS to Enforce the ACA’S Individual and Employer Mandates [UPDATE]
The 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 Read More
ACA Health Insurance Marketplace May Stabilize In 2018
It’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 Read More![Individual Healthcare Mandate Being Considered in Maryland [UPDATE]](https://acatimes.com/wp-content/uploads/AdobeStock_67845483_1280px-269x180_c.jpg)
Individual Healthcare Mandate Being Considered in Maryland [UPDATE]
Senate 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 Read More
The Affordable Care Act Has Helped Millions, But There’s More Work To Do
In 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, Read More
As Congress Moves To Remove Individual Mandate, States Seek Their Own Version
It 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 Read More
Despite Tax Reform, Expect IRS to Enforce the ACA’s Individual and Employer Mandates
The 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 Read More
IRS Extension of Good Faith Relief is Good and Bad News
As 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 Read More
ACA Individual Mandate is Set to be Gone, but Desire for Health Insurance Remains
As 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 Read More
Bipartisan Senate Bill Quietly Gaining Momentum
A 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 Read More
Americans Don’t Want President Trump to Destroy the Affordable Care Act
While President Trump does his best to undermine the Affordable Care Act, the American public wants it to succeed. Americans don’t want the Affordable Care Act (ACA) destroyed. They want Read More
With ACA Open Enrollment Weeks Away, Trump Cancellation of CSR Payments Not Deterring Insurers
Perhaps 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 Read More
Back to Congress: Changes to Modify the ACA to Continue Subsidy Payments to Insurers to Stabilize Insurance Markets Are Still In Play
Bipartisan 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 Read More
States Are Taking The Lead in Curbing Drug Costs
States 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 Read More
CHIP Reauthorization in Congressional Committees Sees Mixed Results
There 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 Read More
Congress Not Delivering Yet on Public Priorities for Healthcare
Despite 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 Read More![Trump, McConnell Indicate There May Be Movement Towards Limited Bipartisan ACA Legislation to Stabilize Insurance Markets in 2018 [NEW REPORT]](https://acatimes.com/wp-content/uploads/AdobeStock_80467671_1280px-1-269x180_c.jpg)
Trump, McConnell Indicate There May Be Movement Towards Limited Bipartisan ACA Legislation to Stabilize Insurance Markets in 2018 [NEW REPORT]
With the GOP’s last-ditch attempt in Congress to repeal and replace the Affordable Care Act (ACA)done for now, President Trump introduced the idea of working with Democrats to change healthcare Read More
Path Now Clear for U.S. Senate Committee to Address Stabilizing Health Insurance Markets
The on again, off again effort to repeal and replace the Affordable Care Act (ACA) finally fizzled out yesterday when Republican leadership in the U.S. Senate declined to bring to Read More
Possible Extension Of Cost-Sharing Reduction Payments, More Flexibility for States May Face A Challenge
The U.S. Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor and Pensions hearings on the Affordable Care Act could lead to bipartisan legislation for Congressional approval to continue cost-sharing reduction (CSR) payments Read More
U.S. Senate Health Committee Works to Reach Consensus With Healthcare Hearings Over
Can they reach a bipartisan consensus on fixing healthcare? That’s the question now that the U.S. Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor and Pensions has completed its hearings on stabilizing Read More
U.S. Senate Committee Continues Healthcare Hearings Today After Hearing From Governors Last Week
The 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 Read More
State Insurance Commissioners Ask Senators to Continue Subsidy Payments to Insurers
It was a positive start to what the U.S. Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor and Pensions hopes will be the start of a successful bipartisan effort to draft legislation Read More
U.S. Senate Committee Starts Hearings Today on Bipartisan Approach to Fixing the ACA
The 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 Read More
IRS Reveals 2017 Average National Monthly Premium Needed to Calculate Individual Taxpayer Penalties for ACA
The IRS has issued the 2017 Average National Monthly Premium of bronze-level qualified health plans for both individuals and shared responsibility families of five or more. That figure is the Read More
Surveys Show Public Support for ACA Continues to Grow
It’s become clear that the American public is not so down on the Affordable Care Act (ACA), at least not anymore. The Kaiser Family Foundation (KFF) has been conducting regular Read More
New Ambitious Bill Proposes to Legalize Marijuana Across The Nation
One 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 Read More
Congressional Budget Office Expects Health Insurance Premiums to Increase
Gross premiums for silver-level health insurance plans purchased through the healthcare marketplace would be 20 percent higher in 2018 and 25 percent higher by 2020 if cost-sharing reductions (CSRs) payments Read More
Medicaid Receives Praise From Its Recipients
There’s a fallacy amongst some people that suggests Medicaid recipients are receiving less than stellar healthcare. That couldn’t be further from the truth according to a new study from Harvard’s Read More
ACA Filing Deadlines Still Loom Amid Reform Debate
Originally published on July 18, 2017 in “Compliance Week” As healthcare reform sputters along in Congress, companies still face filing deadlines under the Affordable Care Act, and the Internal Revenue Service Read More
Updated Better Care Reconciliation Act Released
The U.S. Senate has released a new, updated draft of the Republican-proposed Better Care Reconciliation Act aimed at winning over Republican Senators who were not enamored of the initially proposed Read More
Pressure Mounts for Congressional Action on Healthcare as Congress Returns to Washington
As Congress returns to Washington, D.C. from a quick Independence Day break, the question of repealing and replacing the Affordable Care Act (ACA) remains top of mind. Job one for Read More
Deadline Nearing to Provide HHS Comments On How To Improve Health Insurance Markets
While Congress has been discussing new directions for healthcare reform from the Affordable Care Act, President Trump has been talking about the death of that current healthcare law. However, as Read More
Case of Whistleblower Demonstrates ACA Protections for Healthcare Workers
A recent ruling by the U.S. Department of Labor’s Administrative Review Board (ARB) upheld the anti-discrimination and anti-retaliation provisions contained in the Affordable Care Act (ACA). These “whistleblower provisions,” among Read More
Americans Dissatisfied With Senate ACA Replacement, Per KFF Study; Senate Vote is Delayed Until After July 4
The fate of Obamacare will not be determined this week. Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell told Senate Republicans that a vote on the Senate replacement plan called “Better Care Reconciliation Read More
Featured Press: 3 Issues For Business As The U.S. Senate Tackles Trumpcare
Op-Ed originally published in The Business Journals. After some false starts, Republicans in the U.S. House of Representatives finally passed the American Health Care Act (AHCA), as amended, the first step Read More
IRS Tax Documents Assist Decision In Classification Case
With misclassification suits becoming more and more frequent, the latest case suggests that tax returns might be subject to mandatory disclosure in resolving classification issues. In a recent case, Mescalero Read More
The Curious Case Of Chipotle
Over the last several years—even prior to and following the passing of the Affordable Care Act (ACA)—fast food chains have struggled with classifying employees, the designation of which can trigger Read More
McCarran-Ferguson Antitrust Exemption Is Eliminated After 70 Years
The Affordable Care Act may be here to stay, but changes to antitrust laws may affect how the healthcare insurance industry does business. The House of Representatives approved legislation that Read More
