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MORE EMPLOYERS are receiving notices from government insurance exchanges, informing them that one of their employees has received a subsidy to purchase insurance on the exchange and that the employer may be subject to a penalty for not offering employees … Continued
THE U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission has released final regulations for employer-sponsored wellness programs under the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) and the Genetic Information Nondiscrimination Act. The final rules, required by the Affordable Care Act, take effect at the … Continued
LEGISLATION IN Congress would reverse a controversial portion of the Affordable Care Act that bars employees from tapping their flexible spending accounts, health savings accounts and health reimbursement arrangements to pay for over-the- counter medications.The ACA barred the practice of spending funds that had … Continued
CONGRESSIONAL REPUBLICANS in June introduced two sweeping proposals for replacing or augmenting the Affordable Care Act. Rep. Pete Sessions(R-Texas) and Sen. Bill Cassidy(R-Louisiana) introduced HR 5284, which they call an “alternative” health care bill which will not repeal the ACA, but … Continued
EVER SINCE the Affordable Care Act was enacted, critics of the law have said that employers would cut staff or reduce workers’ hours to avoid coming under the employer mandate requiring them to provide coverage for their staff. A decision … Continued
NEXT YEAR is a landmark year for health insurance pricing since the inception of the Affordable Care Act. For first time, insurance companies will have a complete year of data from which to draw on when setting rates, which … Continued
EMPLOYERS who have transitional small group “grand- mothered” plans under the Affordable Care Act got another reprieve in late February, with the federal government now allowing them to be in use through the end of 2017. The new rules apply … Continued
WHAT IF you hire a new employee, who rejects your offer of health benefits because they want to stay on their spouse’s plan and they ask for a higher rate of pay instead? The “employer shared responsibility” requirement of the … Continued
THIS IS the year that the rubber really hits the road for employers with 50 or more full-time workers. The Affordable Care Act employer mandate for firms with 50 to 99 employees takes effect this year, meaning that if you … Continued
THE AFFORDABLE Care Act requirement that large employers automatically enroll in a group health plan any employees that don’t respond when asked to choose a plan, has been repealed. The change came after the employer community had lobbied to have … Continued