The enactment of the Affordable Care Act (ACA) in 2010 launched an extended period during which far-reaching changes to the American healthcare system took effect.
Affordable Care Act Overview
The ACA was implemented in stages and encompasses several major areas:
Measures to encourage more employers to provide coverage, such as the...
“Qualified benefits” include such things as health insurance, dental and vision coverage, life insurance, accidental death and dismemberment coverage, and short and long-term disability benefits. For example, employees may be given a choice between the more expensive PPO (Preferred Provider Organization) or the less expensive HMO (...
Cafeteria plans, commonly referred to as Section 125 plans, and flexible spending accounts give employees a pre-tax way to pay for certain health-related and dependent-care expenses. Such plans are becoming very popular for employers of all sizes.
Recently, Bank of America reported a 34-percent surge in its health savings business, adding 50,...
By Ashley Gillihan, John R. Hickman, and Anne Tyler Hamby Alston & Bird, LLP
Effective March 30, 2010, the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act as modified by the Health Care and Education Reconciliation Act of 2010 (collectively the "Act") expanded the health care tax exclusion to any "child" who will not reach age 27 at any time...
By Ashley Gillihan, John R. Hickman, and Anne Tyler Hamby Alston & Bird, LLP
Effective March 30, 2010, the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act as modified by the Health Care and Education Reconciliation Act of 2010 (collectively the "Act") expanded the health care tax exclusion to any "child" who will not reach age 27 at any time...
The IRS has issued final regulations providing guidance on employer comparable contributions to health savings accounts (HSAs) under § 4980G of the IRS Code. The regulations apply to employees who haven't established an HSA by December 31 and to employers that accelerate contributions for employees who have incurred qualified...
The IRS has issued new proposed regulations for Section 125 cafeteria plans that include guidance on when plans unlawfully discriminate in favor of highly compensated employees. The proposed regulations consolidate and withdraw previously proposed regulations. This is the first time the agency has published the guidance in one...
My, how time flies. Some things never change. Those are just two of the clichés that sprang to mind as we started reviewing some of the key labor and employment legislation introduced this year. After all, it seems like just yesterday that we were warning you about new laws you would be dealing with in years ahead. And you...
While we're gabbing about the FMLA, let's look at some opinion letters from the U.S. Depatment of Labor (DOL) that clarify your obligation to provide health insurance during FMLA leave. According to the DOL, you still have to provide an employee with the same health insurance under the same terms - as if he was still working - even...
The biggest news for Massachusetts employers this spring has been the enactment of Chapter 58 of the Acts of 2006 "An Act Providing Access to Affordable, Quality, Accountable Health Care." The goal of the statute is sweeping: It requires that all Massachusetts residents obtain health insurance by July 1, 2007, either directly,...
