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,
Cadillac Tax
Updated Health Care Reform Legislation Comparison Chart
By Damian A. Myers on
The chart below compares key provisions of the Affordable Care Act (ACA), the American Health Care Act (AHCA) and the Better Care Reconciliation Act (BCRA). This chart is current as of July 13, 2017, and as of that date, neither the AHCA nor the BCRA have been enacted.
|
Health Care Reform Legislation Comparison |
|||
|
Shared Responsibility |
|||
…
Better Care Reconciliation Act – Key Takeaways for Employers and Plan Sponsors
By Damian A. Myers & Steven Weinstein on
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…
Health Care Reform Weekly Roundup – Issue 4
By Damian A. Myers on
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
…
House of Representatives Passes American Health Care Act – What it Means and Next Steps
By Damian A. Myers on
Today, the House of Representatives passed the American Health Care Act (the “AHCA”). The AHCA was previously introduced in March but supporters failed to muster sufficient support to bring the legislation to a vote. Recently, however, the AHCA was given new life after House members agreed to an amendment that would allow states to waive…
Health Care Reform Update – American Health Care Act Shelved
By Damian A. Myers on
The American Health Care Act (“AHCA”), the legislation intended to “repeal and replace” the Affordable Care Act (“ACA”), was shelved on Friday, March 24, 2017, ending for now efforts to repeal the ACA. The AHCA, described in our recent blog entry, was introduced on March 6, 2017 and immediately faced strong opposition from both sides of aisle. After failing to negotiate a compromise, President Trump issued an ultimatum to Congress to pass the legislation by March 24, 2017 or else the ACA would remain in place. Unable to muster enough support for the AHCA, Congress withdrew the bill.
American Health Care Act – Key Takeaways for Employers and Plan Sponsors
By Damian A. Myers on
On March 6, 2017, the House of Representatives’ Ways and Means Committee and Energy and Commerce Committee released budget reconciliation recommendations that will, after mark-up beginning on March 8th, form the American Health Care Act (the “AHCA”). The AHCA is intended to be the law that “repeals and replaces” the Affordable Care Act (“ACA”). The Ways and Means Committee bill certainly repeals most of the taxes applied under the ACA and the Energy and Commerce Committee bill significantly alters Medicaid and how that program is funded. Nevertheless, the AHCA would retain a number of key ACA provisions, albeit modified in some respects.
Back from the Dead – Cures Act Resurrects Premium Reimbursement Arrangements for Small Employers
By Damian A. Myers on
Last week, President Obama signed the 21st Century Cures Act (the “Cures Act”), which contains numerous provisions touching on a wide range of public health matters. Among the provisions is the creation of a new health benefit program available to small employers – the qualified small employer health reimbursement arrangement (“QSEHRA”). The purpose of the QSEHRA is to allow small employers to reimburse their employees for premiums paid for insurance purchased on the individual market, a practice that was prohibited under the Affordable Care Act (“ACA”).
Election Results Likely to Result in the End of the ACA as We Know It, But Employers and Plan Sponsors Should Stay the Course for Now
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 either failed to advance in Congress or were vetoed by President Obama. Tuesday’s Presidential and Congressional election, in which Donald Trump was…
So-Called Cadillac Tax Delayed until 2020
By Damian A. Myers on
On December 16, 2015, the House of Representatives struck a tentative deal on an appropriations bill that would fund the federal government through the 2016 fiscal year. Among other things, the 2016 Consolidated Appropriations Bill would delay the effective date of the controversial 40% excise tax on high-cost health plans (commonly referred to as the…