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
On-Site Clinics: What Effect on HDHPs and HSAs?
As of October 2017, Health Care Still Uncertain.
We already know the state of health care in the United States continues to whipsaw, as an October 25th ruling demonstrates: a federal district court confirmed that the Trump Administration need not fund the Affordable Care Act (“ACA”) subsidies that offset insurance copays and deductibles for some…
Crossing the Threshold – Small Business to “ALE”
While many of us have been crossing our fingers behind our backs, hoping that the Affordable Care Act’s employer reporting and shared responsibility penalties would be repealed, many small businesses have crossed the threshold to applicable large employer (ALE) status as a result of hiring or business ownership changes. A business that averaged 50 or…
Loss of COBRA Subsidies – A Marketplace Conundrum
While helping employers craft severance packages, we have often cautioned that a well-meaning offer by an employer to subsidize a former employee’s COBRA coverage for a period of time can result in unintended consequences. Namely, when that subsidy ends, that former employee may find himself or herself with a very high COBRA premium and no…
Where Do We Stand with Health Care?
The American Heath Care Act was designed to provide health care reform and to replace former President Obama’s Affordable Care Act (the “ACA”). However, the House of Representatives, under President Trump’s direction, cancelled its vote in late March because of lack of overall support from Republicans to get passage of the bill in the House.…
IRS to Process Tax Returns That Lack Certification of ACA-Required Coverage
In the wake of the President’s January 20, 2017 Executive Order directing a reduction in regulatory burdens imposed by the Affordable Care Act (ACA), the IRS has quietly announced that it will continue to process income tax returns lacking confirmation that the taxpayer has maintained ACA-required health coverage.
The ACA requires that taxpayers who do…
Health Savings Accounts Considerations for Employers
The health savings account (“HSA”) has become, since its creation in 2003, an increasingly popular option for employers to subsidize employee group health costs. Employees with HSAs can save money, on a tax-free basis, for medical expenses that aren’t otherwise covered. The account’s interest earnings and distributions (for qualified medical expenses) are also tax-free.…
Healthcare Subsidies for Grad Students: Problem Solved?
This summer we wrote about an impending issue under the Affordable Care Act (“ACA”) for colleges and universities wishing to provide graduate student employees with a stipend or reimbursement to defray the cost of medical coverage under a student health plan. Though a common arrangement, guidance issued in connection with the implementation of the ACA…
Affordable Care Act Mid-Year Checkup: Count Your Contingent Workers
The ACA requires “applicable large employers” (those with 50 or more employees) to offer health coverage meeting affordability and other standards to their full-time employees. Failing to offer minimum essential coverage to at least 95% of full-time employees, or offering coverage that is not “affordable,” may result in significant penalties if a full-time employee receives…
Healthcare Subsidies for Grad Students: An ACA Conundrum
Colleges and universities historically have provided graduate student employees (e.g., teaching assistants) with a stipend or reimbursement to help defray (or even fully cover) the cost of their medical coverage under the student health plan. Competing guidance under the Affordable Care Act (“ACA”) from the Departments of Health and Human Services (“HHS”), Labor (“DOL”), and…