The Affordable Care Act (ACA) imposes a fee on health insurance issuers and plan sponsors of self-insured health plans to help fund the Patient-Centered Outcomes Research Institute (PCORI). The PCORI fee was originally scheduled to expire for plan or policy years ending on or after October 1, 2019. However, a …
The Affordable Care Act (ACA) imposes a dollar limit on employees’ salary reduction contributions to health flexible spending accounts, or FSAs, offered under cafeteria plans. For 2020, the health FSA limit on employees’ pre-tax contributions increased by $50 — from $2,700 to $2,750. On October 27, 2020, the Internal Revenue …
From payments to policies, to prescriptions and rising healthcare costs, the outcome of the 2020 presidential election will influence the future of the U.S. healthcare system. As we approach the 2020 presidential election, healthcare is definitely top of mind for Americans. According to a recent poll by the Kaiser Family …
The Internal Revenue Service (IRS) has released final forms and instructions for 2020 ACA reporting under Internal Revenue Code Sections 6055 and 6056. Prior to finalizing, draft forms were released this past July, with additional revisions made this month to both the forms and instructions. The final forms and instructions …
Last Friday, the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) issued Notice 2020-76 to: Extend the due date for furnishing 2020 forms under Section 6055 and 6056 from February 1, 2021 to March 2, 2021; Provide a final extension of good-faith transition relief from penalties related to 2020 information reporting under Sections 6055 …
On September 24, 2020, President Trump issued an executive order that outlines a new plan for affordable, high-quality healthcare. The America First Healthcare Plan is aimed at protecting individuals with preexisting conditions and giving them access to care they can afford. The order directs the Departments of Health and Human …
On September 18, 2020, U.S. Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg passed away at the age of 87. The loss of Justice Ginsburg has shaken the country and has led to a flood of questions regarding what comes next for the Court and the Affordable Care Act (ACA). Whether the …
The Internal Revenue Service (IRS) has recently updated its frequently asked questions (FAQs) to include increased pay or play penalty amounts for the 2021 calendar year. Since 2014, the applicable per-employee dollar amounts of $2,000 and $3,000 have been increased based on the premium adjustment percentage for the year. For …
The Supreme Court will hear arguments challenging the constitutionality of the Affordable Care Act (ACA) one week after Election Day – on November 10, 2020. This will be the third time the Supreme Court has reviewed the ACA’s constitutionality since the law’s tenth anniversary of enactment in 2010. Background Back …
On August 17, 2020, a federal district court blocked a Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) regulation which was intended to allow healthcare and insurance discrimination based on sex stereotyping, gender identity and pregnancy-related conditions. The U.S. District Court Judge found that the planned regulation, which was announced in …
On July 13, 2020, the IRS released 2020 draft Forms 1094-C and 1095-C. The drafts will be used by applicable large employers (ALEs) to report under Section 6056, as well as combined sections 6055 and 6056 for ALEs who sponsor self-insured plans. Draft instructions for Forms 1094-C and 1095-C have …
On July 10, 2020, the Departments of Labor (DOL), Health and Human Services (HHS) and the Treasury Departments issued a proposed rule intended to provide greater flexibility for grandfathered group health plans — which would include changes to certain cost-sharing requirements without losing grandfather status. The proposed rule would amend …
On July 8, 2020, the U.S. Supreme Court upheld two regulations expanding exemptions from the contraceptive coverage mandate under the Affordable Care Act (ACA). Under the regulations, plan sponsors that object to providing contraceptive coverage based on sincerely held religious beliefs or moral convictions will not be penalized for failing …
The Families First Coronavirus Response Act (FFCRA) enacted two laws that provide workers with paid leave for reasons related to the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic. This enables employers to keep their workers on payroll, while simultaneously ensuring that they are not forced to choose between their paychecks and the public health …
The Affordable Care Act (ACA) requires applicable large employers (ALEs) to offer affordable, minimum value health coverage to their full-time employees or possibly pay a penalty. The evolving coronavirus crisis has raised questions on how employers should determine what a full-time employee is during periods of layoff, furlough, and COVID-19 …
