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Are you in compliance with the Affordable Care Act (ACA) reporting requirements? To learn about the reporting requirements and important upcoming deadlines, a webinar presented by ABC’s general counsel, Littler Mendelson is available for ABC members to view, which can be found. A login is required to view the webinar titled “Compliance Alert—Learn About the Affordable Care Act’s New Reporting Requirements for 2015” and a PowerPoint is also available.  

President Obama Nov. 2 signed into law the Bipartisan Budget Act of 2015 (H.R. 1314), which suspended the application of the debt limit until March 2017 and ensured that the United States would meet its financial obligations. The deal was approved by a bi-partisan group of legislators the Unites States Senate Oct. 30 and the House of Representatives on Oct. 28.

President Obama signed into law an ABC-supported, bipartisan change to the Affordable Care Act (ACA) the evening of Oct. 7. The bill signed into law, the Protecting Affordable Coverage for Employees (PACE) Act (H.R. 1624/ S. 1099), will remove the ACA requirement that mandates states to expand the small group definition. As a member of the 50-100 Coalition, ABC urged Congress to pass the PACE Act in letters to the leadership of the U.S. House of Representatives and U.S. Senate as well as to individual members of Congress.

On Sept. 17, ABC joined with 20 coalition partners in sending a letter to key U.S. House of Representatives and U.S. Senate committees urging their support for three bills that would provide small businesses with relief from rising health costs and regulatory red tape. The bills discussed in the letter include the following. 

Are you in compliance with the Affordable Care Act (ACA) provisions that went into effect in 2015? Please join ABC National on Oct. 8 at 2 pm EDT for an informative webinar on the new ACA reporting requirements—learn more.

An updated summary of employer requirements included in the Affordable Care Act (ACA) 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 Toolkit (login required) on ABC’s website.

In conjunction with 17 other employer organizations, ABC sent a letter to the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) urging them to issue a two-year delay until 2018 of the expansion of the small group market definition in the Affordable Care Act (ACA).  Under the ACA, the small group market definition is expanded to include employers with 51-100 employees, which is effective in 2016.  

On Feb. 13, Rep. Charles Boustany (R-La.) and Rep. Kyrsten Sinema (D-Ariz.) introduced the Jobs and Premium Protection Act (H.R. 928), which would fully repeal the health insurance tax (HIT) provision in the Affordable Care Act (ACA). The ABC-supported coalition, Stop the HIT, sent a letter commending Boustany and Sinema for coming together to repeal the burdensome tax.

ABC and 40 of its chapters joined the More Time for Full-Time Initiative in urging the Senate to co-sponsor the Forty Hours is Full Time Act of 2015 which would restore the traditional definition of full-time employment to 40 hours per week in the Affordable Care Act (ACA)which currently defines full-time as at least 30 hours per week. 

The Internal Revenue Service (IRS) released draft forms on July 24 that employers will use to report on health coverage they offer to their employees, also known as information reporting requirements under the Affordable Care Act (ACA), effective for the 2015 calendar year. Employers with 50 or more full-time employees and full-time equivalent employees are encouraged to learn more about the draft reporting forms by viewing an analysis prepared by Littler Mendelson, P.C.

An updated summary of employer requirements included in the Affordable Care Act (ACA) 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 Toolkit (login required) on ABC’s website.

The Internal Revenue Service (IRS) and Department of Treasury recently issued frequently asked questions on provisions of the Affordable Care Act (ACA).   

A health care alert from Washington Council Ernst & Young regarding health care law provisions that impact employers is available for ABC members on ABC’s Employer Health Care Law Toolkit.

A health care alert from Washington Council Ernst & Young on the final rule implementing the employer mandate provisions under the health care law is available for ABC members. The health care alert provides an overview of key provisions included in the final rule and also outstanding issues. 

The Department of Treasury (Treasury) and the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) Feb. 10 issued a final rule implementing the employer mandate provisions included in the Affordable Care Act (ACA). The final rule makes some changes to the proposed rule issued in December 2012, including phasing in provisions for businesses with 50 to 99 full-time employees and those that offer coverage to most but not yet all of their full-time workers. Generally, ACA mandates that employers with 50 or more full-time equivalent employees offer a certain level of health coverage or be subject to new taxes. A fact sheet issued by the Treasury provides an overview of the phase-in included in the fi

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.

On Jan. 9, the Departments of Health and Human Services, Labor and the Treasury issued another set of frequently asked questions regarding implementation of the Affordable Care Act (ACA).  The FAQs (Part XVIII) discuss coverage of preventive services, limitations on cost-sharing, and wellness programs and provided guidance on the Mental Health Parity Act.

With 2014 just around the corner, ABC is providing an overview of several new provisions included in the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (PPACA) that are scheduled to become effective in the new year. Additional information about PPACA, including reference guides and webinars, may be found in ABC’s health care employer toolkit.  

As a part of the Affordable Coverage Project, ABC and other business groups responded to final rules issued by the IRS on the new burdensome health insurance tax beginning on Jan. 1, 2014, calling on Congress to protect employers and consumers from the increased health coverage costs.

The U.S. Health and Human Services Department (HHS) Nov. 27 announced that online enrollment for small businesses in the federally-facilitated Small Business Health Options Program (SHOP) Marketplace will be delayed one year until November 2014.  

The Affordable Coverage Coalition, of which ABC is a member, Nov. 21 sent a letter urging members of congress to support H.R. 3367, the Small Business and Family Relief Act, bipartisan legislation that would delay the health insurance tax for two years.

As part of the Employers for Flexibility in Health Care (E-FLEX) Coalition, ABC Nov. 7 submitted comments to the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) in response to Sept. 9 proposed rules on information reporting by applicable large employers on health insurance coverage offered under employer-sponsored plans and information reporting of minimum essential coverage.

ABC, as part of the Health Choices Coalition, sent a letter to Sens. Pat Roberts (R-Kan.) and Mary Landrieu (D-La.), supporting the Restoring Access to Medication Act, an effort to avert the unintended consequences resulting from the restrictions in the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (PPACA) placed on tax-preferred accounts that prohibit their use for purchasing over-the-counter (“OTC”) medications without a prescription.

The massive health care law, known as the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (PPACA), continues to create uncertainty and confusion in the construction industry, making it difficult for the nation's contractors to plan for the future and create jobs. And with the employer mandate provisions becoming effective in 2015, significant employer education is required to understand how to comply with the law.

Open enrollment for the Health Insurance Marketplace (or Exchanges) under the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (PPACA) began on Oct. 1. ABC’s Insurance Trust advises that it may be prudent for ABC members to hold off on taking any action.