Newsline

The recently passed CARES Act, a $2.2 trillion COVID-19 relief bill, provided aid for small businesses and affected industries across the country. However, the bill does not include assistance for 501(c)(6) organizations such as trade associations that are, in some cases, experiencing the same operational challenges that large and small businesses are facing due to the coronavirus pandemic.

Following the passage of the Coronavirus Aid, Relief and Economic Security Act (CARES) and President Trump signing it into law, ABC has gathered some additional information on the bill’s small business and tax provisions.

On Sept. 12, the U.S. Department of Labor and the Internal Revenue Service will hold a webcast providing employers with compliance assistance on the joint final rule on health reimbursement arrangements.  

On May 28, as part of the Partnership for the Employer-Sponsored Coverage, ABC signed on to a letter to the U.S. House Energy and Commerce Committee supporting legislation to combat surprise billing in health care and providing key insight on the committee’s draft proposals.

On Feb. 28, ABC, as a member of the Partnership for Employer-sponsored Coverage, sent a letter to Sen. Lamar Alexander, chairman of the Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee, providing recommendations on how to address America’s rising health care costs.

ABC urged the U.S. House of Representatives to pass two bills that would modernize vital health care programs and provide much-needed relief to small businesses and their employees, designating them as key votes for its scorecard on the 115th Congress on July 23.

On July 11, the U.S. House Ways and Means Committee held a full committee markup of numerous health care bills aimed at expanding access to health savings accounts (HSAs) and lowering health care premiums for American employers and employees.

On April 27, the Internal Revenue Service issued guidance on providing relief for certain small businesses that wish to claim the Small Business Health Care Tax Credit for 2017 and later years.

On Jan. 22, President Trump signed a stopgap spending bill (H.R.195) to end the government shutdown and fund government operations through Feb. 8. Included in the bill was a suspension for 2019 of the health insurance tax (HIT) on providers included in the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act. 

During the early hours of July 28, Senators Susan Collins (R-Maine), John McCain (R-Ariz.) and Lisa Murkowski (Alaska) voted “no” on the Senate Republican’s “skinny repeal” proposal, a scaled-back version of previously supported Senate Republican Affordable Care Act (ACA) repeal bills, which failed by a vote of 49 to 51. If the vote on final passage had been successful, it would likely have triggered a conference committee with the House of Representatives whereby the chambers would have tried to resolve their legislative differences. Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell’s (R-Ky.Y) statement on the failed vote can be read here. &a

On June 22, the U.S. Senate issued the Better Care Reconciliation Act of 2017, a substitute to the House-passed American Health Care Act (AHCA), which would repeal and replace several provisions of the Affordable Care Act. The Senate bill was slated for a vote this week; however, on June 27 Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) delayed the vote until after the July 4 recess due to a lack of support for passage. 

On May 24, the Congressional Budget Office (CBO) released a report with estimates on the costs and overall effect of H.R. 1628, the American Health Care Act. This is the third report to come from the CBO since the bill was introduced in March. If the U.S. Senate passes the bill in its current form, the CBO estimates that the bill would reduce the federal deficit by $119 bil

The U.S. House of Representatives took steps to repeal and replace the Affordable Care Act by passing H.R. 1628, the American Health Care Act (AHCA) on May 4. H.R. 1628 repeals several of the most harmful and burdensome provisions of the ACA, including the employer mandate penalty, costly tax increases and limitations on contributions to and restrictions on the use of flexible spending accounts and health savings accounts. ABC sent a letter in support of H.R. 1628 to the U.S. House of Representatives, which passed the House by a vote of 217-213. The bill now awaits action in the U.S. Senate.

In its first two weeks, the Trump administration took a series of significant executive actions in the areas of federal regulation, infrastructure, manufacturing, trade, immigration and health care.

On April 28, ABC submitted a letter to the chairmen of the congressional Task Force on Health Care Reform urging them to take action on common-sense health care solutions.  In the letter, ABC expressed its strong support for the task force’s mission to “modernize American health care with a patient-centered system that gives patients more choice and control, increases quality, and reduces costs.”

On April 12, ABC joined more than 60 national and multi-state organizations across the country in sending a letter  to members of the House Committee on Ways and Means urging them to take action on the Small Business Healthcare Relief Act (H.R. 2911 ).  The bill would allow small businesses that have fewer than 50 employees to offer employer payment plans and Health Reimbursement Arrangements (HRAs) to employees for the payment of premiums or qualified medical expenses associated with insurance coverage.

The U.S. House of Representatives passed an amended version of the Restoring Americans’ Healthcare Freedom Reconciliation Act (H.R. 3762) Jan. 6, which would repeal several, job-killing provisions in the Affordable Care Act. The same version of the bill passed the Senate 52-47 in Dec. 2015.

A recent Newsline article discussed the upcoming deadlines for the Affordable Care Act’s (ACA) 2015 information reporting requirements under Internal Revenue Code (IRC) sections 6055 and 6056. On Dec. 28, 2015, the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) issued Notice 2016-4, which extends the deadlines for the 2015 information reporting requirements, both furnishing to individuals and filing with the IRS.

An updated summary of employer requirements under the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (PPACA) is available for ABC members in a reference document provided by Washington Council Ernst & Young. The document is available on the health care law employer tool kit (login required) on ABC’s website.

For more than three years, ABC has advocated for the repeal of the complex and costly employer mandate included in the Affordable Care Act. On July 2, the Obama Administration finally acknowledged employers’ concerns about implementing the burdensome requirements in a timely and effective manner. 

The Stop the HIT Coalition, of which ABC is a member, March 19 sent a letter to members of the U.S. Senate offering support for the Jobs and Premium Protection Act of 2013, introduced by Sen. John Barrasso and Sen. Orrin Hatch, that would repeal the health insurance tax provisions in the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act. 

The Stop the HIT Coalition, of which ABC is a member, March 19 sent a letter to members of the U.S. Senate offering support for the Jobs and Premium Protection Act of 2013, introduced by Sen. John Barrasso and Sen. Orrin Hatch, that would repeal the health insurance tax provisions in the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act. 

In response to a U.S. House of Representatives subcommittee hearing on the tax provisions contained in the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (PPACA), ABC sent a letter that called attention to several provisions that will affect ABC members, including the additional Medicare taxes on wages and investment. 

In response to a U.S. House of Representatives subcommittee hearing on the tax provisions contained in the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (PPACA), ABC sent a letter that called attention to several provisions that will affect ABC members, including the additional Medicare taxes on wages and investment. 

As part of the Stop the HIT Coalition, ABC Feb. 15 applauded the introduction of the Jobs and Premium Protection Act of 2013, a bill that would repeal the health insurance tax (HIT) provisions in the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (PPACA).