Insurers feast on uncertainty the way most of us attack a holiday spread. They can relish risk because they know it can mean higher premiums and profits for their dealing with clients’ risks. This is one point to keep in mind...more
President Donald J. Trump was sworn into office on January 20, 2017, ushering in a new balance of power in Washington and what is expected to be a dramatically different era of workplace policy. On his first day in office,...more
President Donald Trump took the oath of office on Jan. 20, 2017, officially ushering in Republican control of the executive and legislative branches of government. With Republican control of both houses of Congress, and a new...more
During his campaign, President-elect Trump promised to make the repeal and replacement of the Affordable Care Act (ACA) a priority. Now that the election is over, what should employers expect? We don’t have a crystal ball,...more
Over the past five years or so, Republican Congressmen have repeatedly taken steps to repeal President Obama’s landmark legislative effort – the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (the “ACA”). However, those efforts...more
For many months, we have been speculating about how the results of the 2016 presidential election would impact employee benefits policy going forward. Now that Donald Trump has won the election and Republicans have secured a...more
In a recent Omnibus appropriations package, Congress extended the effective date for the Affordable Care Act (ACA) "Cadillac Tax" by two years, from plan years beginning on or after January 1, 2018, to plan years beginning on...more
For many employers, 2016 will bring new requirements and challenges with respect to compliance with the Affordable Care Act (ACA). However, their burden in years beyond 2016 may very likely diminish because of recent changes...more
Last week, Congress passed three acts impacting the healthcare industry—a tax extenders bill titled Protecting Americans from Tax Hikes of 2015, an Omnibus spending bill titled the Consolidated Appropriations Act of 2016, and...more
Among the many requirements imposed by the Affordable Care Act, none are more controversial than the excise tax to be imposed on expensive health plans. This provision of the law, commonly known as the “Cadillac Tax,” would...more
This Week: Congress raced to exit for the holidays and passed a $1.5 trillion omnibus spending bill and $680 billion tax-extenders package on Friday. The omnibus funds the government through September 2016. President Obama...more
Senate Working Group Pressing Forward on Telehealth - As Congress focuses on bigger picture policy decisions, including broad budget negotiations and raising the debt ceiling, there are some exciting developments on the...more
Cuts in Mandatory Entitlement Programs Center of Budget Negotiations: As budget negotiators from both sides of the Hill come together to work out a two-year budget deal, determining how sequestration relief will be paid for...more
Employers are increasingly concerned with the high cost of health care and executives in the C-Suite are beginning to take notice. The Affordable Care Act (‘‘ACA’’) required employers who sponsor group health plans to adopt a...more
On Oct. 8, the House Republican caucus did not select a candidate for Speaker of the House and selection has been delayed. The current Speaker, John Boehner (R-OH), had announced that he would step down and retire from...more
House Leadership Elections: Republican House leadership changes remain in flux in the wake of Speaker John Boehner's (R-OH) decision to retire and the unexpected delay of the vote to select his successor. House Majority...more
More than five years after its enactment, the Affordable Care Act (ACA) continues to be one of the top concerns for employers, and rightly so: the ACA is one of the most comprehensive laws impacting employee benefits since...more
On July 30, the IRS issued Notice 2015-52, which provides guidance regarding the “Cadillac Tax” provision of the Affordable Care Act (ACA). Earlier this year, the IRS issued Notice 2015- 16, which represented the first...more
CMS permits states to use income information from other means-tested benefit programs for Medicaid eligibility determinations; Alaska’s Medicaid expansion is given the green light to launch today; and Washington State submits...more
On June 25, 2015, the U.S. Supreme Court ended the latest legal challenge to the Affordable Care Act (“ACA”) with its 6–3 ruling in King v. Burwell. With Chief Justice Roberts writing for the majority, the Supreme Court held...more
When healthcare reform was rolled out in 2010, there was a provision included in the law imposing a tax on healthcare benefits provided to employees that exceed a threshold cost. This tax has been referred to as the...more
This is the 52nd 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
The Internal Revenue Service has issued a new notice addressing issues relating to future rules governing the calculation and payment of the so-called “Cadillac tax” under the Affordable Care Act. Beginning in 2018, the ACA...more
Major Revisions to Qualified Plan Determination Letter Process Announced - Effective January 1, 2017, the staggered five-year determination letter remedial amendment cycles for individually designed plans will be...more
A bill has been introduced in the House of Representatives that would repeal the “Cadillac Tax” provision of the Affordable Care Act (codified in Internal Revenue Code Section 4980I). The Cadillac Tax provision imposes an...more