Health Care Reform

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As explained in an earlier post, the 2010 health care reform law requires health plans to provide women’s preventive care and services without cost sharing. Regulations issued August 1, 2011 included all FDA-approved contraception for women in the definition of women’s preventive care and services. That includes abortion and abortifacient drugs (like the so-called…

As expected, the government issued guidance (in the form of frequently asked questions posted on the Department of Labor’s website) postponing the due date for employers to issue notices regarding the availability of health coverage under state exchanges.

Under the 2010 health care reform law, a provision added to the Fair Labor Standards Act requires…

We are pleased to announce the launch of Jackson Lewis’ Health Care Reform Resource Center. Our Resource Center provides one convenient place for you to obtain key health care reform-related law, agency guidance, Jackson Lewis articles and related information. We hope you find this resource helpful.

The IRS released proposed regulations last week that amplify and modify earlier guidance issued on the 2010 health care reform law’s employer penalty provision. 

Highlights of the proposed regulations include:

  • For purposes of determining whether an employer has the threshold 50 full-time employees, an employer can use any consecutive 6-month period in 2013, instead of

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Employers wrestling with how to budget for the additional costs associated with the 2010 health care reform law have one more cost to consider: the “transitional reinsurance program” fee. Barely discussed in the public forum up to now (probably because the amount per plan was not determinable), the government has clarified how this fee could impact…

Many employers put off making plans to deal with the employer shared responsibility penalty provision of the 2010 health care reform law until after the November elections.  With President Obama’s re-election and no real possibility of legislative repeal, procrastinating further would be ill-advised.  Employers need to understand now the way the penalty can be triggered…

The Internal Revenue Service (IRS) has provided guidance regarding the new salary reduction contribution limits to health flexible spending arrangements (health FSAs) under Internal Revenue Code section 125 cafeteria plans in Notice 2012-40, issued May 30, 2012.

Currently, there are no statutory limits on employee salary reduction contributions to health FSAs, but plan sponsors…

Some employers that sponsor insured group health plans will receive rebates this year from insurers due to the medical loss ratio limits imposed on insurers under the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act of 2010 (as amended by the Health Care and Education Reconciliation Act of 2010, together “Health Care Reform”). Under applicable Health Care…