The Affordable Care Act establishes a Patient-Centered Outcomes Research Institute as a private nonprofit corporation to assist patients, clinicians, purchasers and policy makers in making informed health decisions using evidence based medicine. The Institute is to be funded through a trust fund called the Patient-Centered Outcomes Research Trust Fund. Under the Affordable Care Act, both
Understanding Employee Benefits and key developments in the employee benefits field and items of interest to our clients. MORE
Health Care Reform
HEALTH CARE REFORM – IMPLEMENTATION TIMELINE FOR EMPLOYERS (subject to change as additional guidance is issued)
By Stinson LLP on
Here’s a brief timeline highlighting important health care reform dates for employers…I expect some dates will change as 2014 draws nearer, and I will update the timeline accordingly.
9/23/12 – Group health plans must provide all eligible employees a standard Summary of Benefits and Coverage so members can compare medical plans.
12/31/12 – Form W-2…
Health Care Reform – What Employers Should be Thinking About Now
By Stinson LLP on
Beginning in 2014, the Affordable Care Act will require employers employing 50 or more full-time equivalent employees to offer full-time employees affordable, minimum essential health coverage. If such health coverage is not offered, and if at least one employee receives a premium tax credit on a state or federal exchange, the employer will be assessed…
Self-Compliance Tool for HIPAA and Other Health Care Related Provisions
By Stinson LLP on
The Department of Labor recently updated its self-compliance tool for plan sponsors and plan administrators of group health plans. The self-compliance tool contains questions relating to requirements on issues such as limitations on preexisting conditions, certificates of creditable coverage, special enrollment rights, HIPAA nondiscrimination rules, wellness programs, Mental Health Parity and Addiction Equity Act, Newborns’ …
IRS Issues Guidance on $2,500 Limit on Health FSAs
By Stinson LLP on
Under the Health Care Reform Act, health flexible spending arrangements under cafeteria plans are limited to $2,500 in salary reduction contributions beginning in 2013. Employers with plan years that were not calendar years have been wondering how the limit would be applied. The IRS has now issued guidance in the form of Notice 2012-40 with …
FAQs Issued on the Summary of Benefits in Coverage
By Stinson LLP on
The Departments of Labor, Health and Human Services, and Treasury have jointly issued another set of FAQs on the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (PPACA), the health care reform law. These are part nine of FAQs issued on different PPACA topics. This particular set discusses the Summary of Benefits and Coverage or SBC, about …
IRS Issues Guidance on W-2 Reporting of Health Care Coverage
By Stinson LLP on
The IRS issued recently FAQs relating to W-2 reporting of employer-provided health care coverage, a health care reform requirement that employers must first meet for the 2012 calendar year. We have previously discussed these requirements [Link to earlier health care reform posts]. These FAQs largely restate prior guidance.
The IRS also released an article on …
How to Pay the Patient-Centered Outcomes Research Trust Fund Fee
By Stinson LLP on
In previous blogs here, here and here, I discussed generally the recently published proposed regulations on which taxpayers may rely regarding the new fee imposed under the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (PPACA) to fund the Patient-Centered Outcomes Research Trust Fund. The fee is considered an excise tax but is not reported …
Counting Average Number of Participants for Patient-Centered Outcomes Research Trust Fund Fee
By Stinson LLP on
As noted in my two earlier blogs here and here, the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (PPACA) imposes a new fee to fund a Patient-Centered Outcomes Research Institute that will research effective medical treatments. The fee is paid by insurance companies for fully insured plans and by plan sponsors for self-funded plans. The …
Which Employer Plans are Required to Pay the Patient-Centered Outcomes Research Trust Fund Fee?
By Stinson LLP on
This is the second blog post discussing the recently proposed regulations (on which taxpayers can rely) on the Patient-Centered Outcomes Research Trust Fund fee. The first post is here. This new fee, required to fund the Patient-Centered Outcomes Research Institute, is imposed under the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (PPACA) on most health …