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
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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 …
IRS Issues Guidance on New Health Care Reform Fee
By Stinson LLP on
Under the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (PPACA) issuers of certain health insurance policies and plan sponsors of certain self-funded health plans must pay a fee to fund a Patient-Centered Outcomes Research Trust Fund. This trust fund will be used to allow the Patient-Centered Outcomes Research Institute to conduct research on the clinical effectiveness …
Health Care Reform Challenges – Oral Arguments at the Supreme Court
By Stinson LLP on
On Monday March 26th, almost exactly two years after its enactment on March 23, 2010, the United States Supreme Court will begin the first of three days of oral arguments relating to the health care reform law, the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act of 2010 (“PPACA”). The Supreme Court agreed to hear six hours …
What if DOMA Is Declared Unconstitutional?
By Stinson LLP on
Most employers are aware that the federal Defense of Marriage Act (DOMA) defines marriage as the union of one man and one woman for federal law purposes, including federal tax and benefits law. For benefits governed by ERISA, this means that state laws that recognize same sex marriages are preempted. Although for some benefits (e.g.,…
Can You Decline Medicare if You Take Social Security?
By Stinson LLP on
The US Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit recently said no. A group of seniors, including former US House Majority Leader Dick Armey, had sued the federal government to be allowed to accept Social Security payments, but decline Medicare coverage. They preferred to keep their private coverage to being covered by…
A Quirk in the Effective Date for the New Summary of Benefits and Coverage
By Stinson LLP on
This is one of several posts we intend to make on the recently issued guidance on the Summary of Benefits and Coverage (SBC). This is the four (double sided, so actually eight) page uniform summary that will be required for group health plans, as well as for individual insurance policies. It is intended to provide …