This post is the first installment in our blog series looking back on the 10-year anniversary of the Affordable Care Act (ACA). The most controversial of the ACA's reforms has been the individual mandate, which requires that...more
As 2017 comes to an end, we are pleased to present our traditional End of Year Plan Sponsor “To Do” Lists. This year, we are presenting our “To Do” Lists in four separate Employee Benefits Updates. This Part 1 will cover...more
Many other things being equal, the longer the sail boat, the faster it can go before its bow wave defeats further speed increase. However, as any boat approaches its “hull speed,” an increasing amount of energy is required...more
Under a common strategy for controlling group health care plan costs, employers sometimes adopt arrangements under which an employee is offered cash as an incentive to waive coverage. These arrangements are colloquially...more
On June 25, 2015, the U.S. Supreme Court held in King v. Burwell that individual taxpayers who enroll in health plans through the federal government's health insurance exchange can be eligible for federal tax credits under...more
The health care industry has been closely watching four cases challenging whether federal subsidies could be used to reduce costs to consumers for health insurance purchased on an Affordable Care Act (ACA) Exchange in a state...more
This is the 48th in a series of WorkCite articles concerning the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act and its companion statute, the Health Care and Education Reconciliation Act of 2010 (referred to collectively as the...more
On November 21, 2014, the Obama administration released two proposed rules affecting health insurance issuers’ offering of private health insurance products both inside and outside of the public insurance exchanges...more
With the conclusion of the midterm elections last week and open enrollment just around the corner, this week’s news highlights both renewed pledges from the opposition and a flurry of implementation activity in the states....more
Action Item: The government has struck down an important Affordable Care Act planning technique: so-called “middle” or “minimum value” plans. Employers that have implemented such plans or are significantly down the road on...more
The Obama administration's July 2013 announcement, delaying enforcement of the employer mandate under the Affordable Care Act by one year, has affected not only when employees must be offered health insurance coverage but...more
The Affordable Care Act (a/k/a Health Care Reform, or the ACA) is complicated. While there is nothing in the ACA that requires any employer to provide group health care coverage to its employees, the failure to do so can come...more
In This Issue: The ACA’s Effects on the Employer Insurance Market; Using the Premium Assistance Option to Purchase Coverage for Medicaid Beneficiaries in the Exchange: A Review of the Legal, Policy and Operational Issues; and...more
In This Issue: What Does the ACA Mean for Employers?; Manatt’s Attorneys Honored for Exceptional Client Service; and Manatt Health Solutions Expands Our Talent Base to Support Your Growing Range of Challenges....more
It is impossible to ignore. Healthcare reform under the Affordable Care Act is on the minds, agendas and budgets of all employers, and now is the time for employers to review their health programs to address compliance with...more
In This Issue: - Minimum Essential Coverage ..HHS Proposed Rule - Shared Responsibility Payments and Exemptions ..HHS Proposed Rule ..IRS Proposed Rule ..IRS Final Rule - Essential Health Benefits ...more
CMS and the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) issued two proposed rules on January 30, 2013 setting forth the exemptions an individual may satisfy to avoid financial penalties associated with the Patient Protection and...more