As employers consider implementing a vaccine mandate to encourage employees to get vaccinated against COVID-19, we have recently discussed the merits of imposing a “vaccine surcharge” on monthly health insurance premiums for those employees who remain unvaccinated. There were unanswered questions about specific legal issues, but now the Department of Labor (DOL), Health and Human
Money Money Money: How Much can the Health Plan Surcharge on Unvaccinated Employees Be?
In light of the lingering COVID-19 pandemic and its impact on employee productivity and health care expenses, employers are considering imposing a premium surcharge on employees participating in the company’s health plan who are not vaccinated against COVID-19.
As we have discussed here, several federal laws must be taken into consideration when designing such
Employers in Union-Related Group Health Plans Must Still Comply with ACA Reporting Requirements
Employers who provide health benefits to their union workforce through a multiemployer group health plan must satisfy all the Affordable Care Act (ACA) reporting requirements regarding their union employees… More
Your Not So Kind (or Welcome) Early Holiday Gift from the IRS: Letter 226j
On more than one occasion since passing the Affordable Care Act (“ACA”), the IRS has given some type of early holiday “gift” to alleviate pending compliance concerns for employers. One of the most significant of these occurred in late December 2015, when the IRS extended the mandated filing periods for Forms 1094/1095, which gave employers
Are You Down With O.O.P.s?: Opt-Out Payments Under the Affordable Care Act
In Notice 2015-87, the IRS addressed the impact of employer opt-out payments — payments made to employees who decline enrollment in an employer’s group health plan — on affordability for ACA purposes. Employers who do not offer group health coverage that is affordable as defined under the ACA risk significant penalties. For 2016, group
Employers Wonder How to Respond to Marketplace Notices
Many employers have begun receiving Health Insurance Marketplace notices – letters stating that a particular employee reported that he or she wasn’t offered affordable minimum value coverage for one or more months during 2016. The letter states that the employee has been determined to be eligible for subsidized Marketplace coverage. This means, if the employer
ACA Treatment of Fringe Benefits Provided Under Federal Contracts
Last month the IRS issued Notice 2015-87, providing further guidance for applicable large employers on the employer shared responsibility provisions of Code § 4980H. For federal contractors required to provide a certain amount of health and welfare fringe benefits to employees, the Notice brought some welcome relief, at least for the time being.
Employers with
Late-Breaking Benefits News for 2016
While taxpayers were completing their holiday shopping and preparing to spend time with their families, Congress and the Internal Revenue Service (“IRS”) were busy changing laws governing employee benefit plans and issuing new guidance under the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (“ACA”). The results of that year-end governmental activity include the following:
Protecting Americans
Don’t Forget Year-End Amendment to Cafeteria Plans Allowing Revocation for Marketplace Coverage
As the calendar year comes to an end, group health plan sponsors must remember that if they took advantage of the ACA relief of IRS Notice 2014-55, amendments to their cafeteria plans by year end are needed.
Notice 2014-55 was effective as of September 18, 2014, and it allowed participants to revoke a cafeteria
Is Your Health Plan Affordable? If You Offer an Opt-Out Payment, You Better Check Again
An “applicable large employer” is subject to a penalty if either (1) the employer fails to offer to its full-time employees (and their dependents) the opportunity to enroll in minimum essential coverage (MEC) under an eligible employer-sponsored plan and any full-time employee obtains a subsidy for health coverage on a government exchange (Section 4980H(a) liability)