Bulletins

On June 19, 2018, the U.S. Department of Labor (DOL) issued a final rule to expand association health plans (AHPs). The new rule will make it easier for small businesses and self-employed workers to band together to purchase more affordable health care coverage.

Employers who are responsible for paying the annual Patient-Centered Outcomes Research Trust Fund fee should use the updated Form 720. The fee, a provision of the Affordable Care Act, funds the Patient-Centered Outcomes Research Institute (PCORI), which aims to help patients better understand the...

The employer shared responsibility penalties (ESRPs) for 2018 are $2,320 and $3,480 per employee. The $2,320 penalty is applied should an applicable large employer (with 50 or more full-time-equivalent employees) not provide minimum essential coverage to at least 95% of benefit-eligible, full-time...

A one-year moratorium on the ACA Health Insurance Tax (HIT) will expire at the end of the year, and fully insured health insurance premiums will rise as insurers scramble to recoup costs. Under the ACA, all health insurers are required to pay an annual fee roughly proportionate to their fully...

A condition of the Affordable Care Act (ACA) means employers required to provide new hires with an up-to-date copy of the Marketplace notice explaining coverage options and subsidy eligibility. Recently, the Department of Labor (DOL) issued aupdated Marketplace noticethat won't expire until June...

The IRS recently lowered the 2018 affordability threshold to 9.56% of household income for purposes of determining eligibility for a premium tax credit. The 2017 rate was 9.69% of household income. This percentage is also used to determine the affordability of employer-sponsored coverage. Failure...

The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) recently issued a one-year extension of its transmittal policy, allowing small group employers to keep their non-grandfathered plans that are not compliant with the ACA.

Self-insured health and HRA plans must file form; carriers pay fee on behalf of fully insured plans 

Employers with more than 50 employees (or fewer than 50 if they sponsor a self-funded health plan) have until March 2, 2017, to provide employees a copy of the IRS-required Form 1095. The original deadline was January 31. The deadline for filing with the IRS has not changed.