Roughly a year ago, we reported on a district court judge’s determination that the Affordable Care Act’s (“ACA”) individual mandate was unconstitutional and that, therefore, the entire ACA was invalid. A detailed summary of the district court’s decision can be found in our December 17, 2018 post. Not surprisingly, this ruling was appealed to the … Continue Reading
On December 20, 2019, the President signed into law the “Further Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2020” (the “Act”). Among many other things, the Act repeals the Affordable Care Act’s controversial 40% excise tax on high-cost health care (commonly referred to as the “Cadillac Tax”). From an economic perspective, the Cadillac Tax was intended to generate tax … Continue Reading
The IRS has not yet finalized the ACA reporting forms (i.e., the 1094-B/C and 1095-B/C) for the 2019 tax year, so it is no surprise that the IRS issued guidance this week extending the deadline to furnish the forms to employees and covered individuals (see Notice 2019-63). In addition to extending the deadline to furnish … Continue Reading
The Affordable Care Act’s individual mandate (i.e., the requirement that most individuals obtain adequate health insurance or pay a penalty) is dead. A side effect of the ACA mandate’s demise is that states are beginning to step-in and pass their own versions of the individual mandate. Massachusetts, of course, has long had an individual mandate … Continue Reading
The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) recently proposed regulations that scale back nondiscrimination protections under Section 1557 of the Affordable Care Act (ACA). The new regulations, proposed on May 24, 2019, represent a marked shift in HHS’s policy by loosening the nondiscrimination requirements imposed on health plans and other entities and substantially … Continue Reading
On May 28, 2019, the IRS released Revenue Procedure 2019-25 setting dollar limitations for health savings accounts (HSAs) and high-deductible health plans (HDHPs) for 2020. HSAs are subject to annual aggregate contribution limits (i.e., employee and dependent contributions plus employer contributions). HSA participants age 55 or older can contribute additional catch-up contributions. Additionally, in order … Continue Reading
On January 14, 2019, a district court in the Eastern District of Pennsylvania granted a nationwide preliminary injunction halting the application of final regulations governing religious and moral-based exemptions from the Affordable Care Act (“ACA”) mandate to cover contraceptives without cost sharing. The final regulations would have dramatically expanded the scope of existing exemptions and … Continue Reading
The U.S. Court of Appeals for the Eighth Circuit recently weighed in on a practice for recovering health plan overpayments known as “cross-plan offsetting.” In addition to shining a light on the controversial (but potentially useful) practice, the decision offers an important lesson in plan drafting that extends beyond the particular case. The case is … Continue Reading
In this episode of the Proskauer Benefits Brief, partner Robert Projansky and associate Katrina McCann discuss the recent district court case, Texas et al. v. The United States of America, which declared the Affordable Care Act (ACA) unconstitutional. On December 14, 2018, a district court judge in the Northern District of Texas deemed the entirety of the Affordable Care Act … Continue Reading
In a surprising turn of events, on Friday, December 14th, a district court judge in the Northern District of Texas declared that the Affordable Care Act’s (“ACA”) individual mandate is unconstitutional and that, a result, the entire ACA is invalid. Although the ACA remains in effect for the time being and an immediate appeal to … Continue Reading
Massachusetts recently published guidance regarding its new Health Insurance Responsibility Disclosure (HIRD) annual filing, which is due for the first time on November 30, 2018 and then annually thereafter. This new HIRD form replaces one that was suspended in 2014 because it became unnecessary due to the ACA’s reporting requirements. The new HIRD requirement consists … Continue Reading
In this episode of the Proskauer Benefits Brief, senior counsel Damian Myers and associate Liz Down examine the IRS’s enforcement of the Affordable Care Act’s (ACA) employer shared responsibility mandate. We discuss how the IRS is assessing penalties and offer tips on what employers can do when they receive assessment notices. Be sure to tune in for the … Continue Reading
On January 22, 2018 Congress passed (and the President signed) the Federal Register Printing Savings Act (the “Act”), which temporarily (until February 8, 2018) continued funding federal government activity and appropriates funds to various health-related programs (e.g., the Children’s Health Insurance Program, Medicaid, and childhood obesity programs). In addition to providing for appropriations, the Act … Continue Reading
Following the old “better late than never” axiom, the IRS recently announced (see Notice 2018-06) that once again it would be extending the distribution (but not filing) deadline for the Affordable Care Act (ACA) reporting requirements set forth in Sections 6055 and 6056 of the Internal Revenue Code (the “Code”). Under Code Section 6055, health … Continue Reading
Within the past few weeks, IRS officials have informally indicated that the IRS would begin assessing tax penalties under the Affordable Care Act’s (ACA) employer shared responsibility. The IRS has now updated its Questions and Answers on Employer Shared Responsibility Provisions under the Affordable Care Act (see Q&As 55-58) and has issued a form preliminary … Continue Reading
After months of failed attempts to pass any health care reform legislation, it appears efforts to pass a bipartisan bill to improve the Affordable Care Act (ACA) are picking up steam. Below is a summary of regent health care reform developments.… Continue Reading
After health care reform efforts failed in late-Spring/early-Summer, things have been quiet. However, Congress returned to DC this week. Although legislative focus now appears to be on general tax reform, we expect some health care reform legislation (whether stand-alone or as part of tax reform) during the new session. Recent developments are provided below. Senator Hatch Introduces … Continue Reading
Below is a summary of significant health care reform developments over the past two weeks. GOP Repeal and Replace Efforts Stalled. After releasing a revised version of the Better Care Reconciliation Act (BCRA) on July 13, 2017, Senate Republican leadership pushed strongly for its passage. After the BCRA failed to get sufficient support, the Senate … Continue Reading
All eyes are on the Senate at the moment as efforts to round-up support for the Better Care Reconciliation Act (BCRA) continue. Developments over the past week are summarized below. On July 13, 2017, the Senate released a revised version of the BCRA in an effort to placate Senators who have been reluctant to support … Continue Reading
With the exception of the Senate’s Better Care Reconciliation Act (“BCRA”), things are relatively quiet on the health care reform front. Below are a few developments from the week of June 26th. Senate’s BCRA Updated. The big news over the past few weeks has been the Senate’s release of the BCRA, which serves as an … Continue Reading
On June 22, 2017, the Senate released its much anticipated health care reform legislation – the Better Care Reconciliation Act (“BCRA”) (linked to amended version released June 26, 2017). In many respects the BCRA is similar to the House of Representatives’ American Health Care Act (which was described in our March 9, 2017 and May … Continue Reading
The Senate’s health care reform bill was released today, and we will report on that separately. In the meantime, below are key health care reform developments from the week of June 12th. CMS Estimates Impact of the AHCA. The Office of the Chief Actuary at the Center for Medicare and Medicaid Services issued a memorandum … Continue Reading
After a brief recess, Congress is back in session and health care reform negotiations continue. Below is a summary of a few, relatively minor, developments that took place during recess and the week of June 5th. Senate Optimism. Following closed-door meetings shortly after returning from recess, Senate Republicans indicated that progress had been made on … Continue Reading
Below are key health care reform developments from the week of May 22nd. CBO/JCT Estimate for AHCA Released. The Congressional Budget Office (CBO) and Joint Committee on Taxation (JCT) released an updated cost estimate for the American Health Care Act (“AHCA”). The latest estimate considered the AHCA as passed by the House of Representatives on … Continue Reading
