Health Care Reform Dashboard

Health Care Reform Dashboard

Charting Developments with the
Affordable Care Act and Beyond

Individual Coverage Mandate

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05/15/2020

IRS Increases Carryover Limits for Health FSAs/Addresses Timing of Health Insurance

The Internal Revenue Service (“IRS”) has issued new guidance, Notice 2020-33, that increases the maximum carryover limit for health flexible spending arrangements (“health FSAs”), and clarifies the ability of health plans to reimburse premium expenses incurred prior to the beginning of the plan year. Increased Carryover Limit Health FSAs generally operate on a use-it-or-lose-it basis. [&hellip… Continue Reading »
07/26/2019

U.S. District Court Upholds Short-Term Limited Duration Insurance Rule

The U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia upheld a rule that expanded the maximum length of time for short-term, limited duration insurance (STLDI). STLDI is coverage that lasts a limited period of time and is exempt from many of the requirements that apply to plans in the individual health insurance market. Concerned that STLDI [&hellip… Continue Reading »
04/01/2019

Association Health Plan Regulations Invalidated

The U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia has set aside the most significant portions of the U.S. Department of Labor’s (DOL) regulations on Association Health Plans (AHPs). The court’s ruling invalidates regulatory provisions that sought to broaden the groups of employers that could be treated as if they were a single employer, allowing [&hellip… Continue Reading »
12/17/2018

District Court Rules ACA Unconstitutional

The Affordable Care Act returned to the front page this weekend when a federal district court in Texas issued an opinion striking down the entire law as unconstitutional. The case arose from a lawsuit filed by a contingent of Republican state attorneys general, one governor, and a few individuals. They asserted that Congress’s elimination of [&hellip… Continue Reading »
08/03/2018

Final Regulations Expand Availability of Individual Insurance Not Meeting ACA Requirements

The U.S. Departments of the Treasury, Labor, and Health and Human Services have jointly issued final rules modifying the definition of short-term, limited-duration insurance (STLDI). STLDI provides health coverage that is intended to be transitional in nature. It is not regarded as individual health insurance or minimum essential coverage and is exempt from certain Affordable [&hellip… Continue Reading »
12/26/2017

IRS Extends ACA Reporting Deadline

As it did last year, the IRS has extended the deadline for furnishing Forms 1095-B and 1095-C to individuals by 30 days. This reprieve will allow employers, health insurers, and other plan sponsors to distribute the forms on or before March 2, 2018, rather than January 31, 2018. The IRS also extends the good-faith transition [&hellip… Continue Reading »
12/28/2015

Further Guidance on ACA Market Reforms for Group Health Plans

Following up on the issuance of final regulations on various market reform provisions under the Affordable Care Act (ACA), the IRS has issued a notice with Questions and Answers that take a more detailed look at specific ACA issues. In particular, this notice addresses: Health reimbursement arrangements (HRAs). The guidance confirms that retiree-only HRAs may [&hellip… Continue Reading »
05/07/2014

New FAQs Address Effect of Affordable Care Act on COBRA and Other Matters

In a wide-ranging set of frequently asked questions (FAQs) and other guidance, the U.S. Departments of Labor, Treasury, and Health and Human Services have addressed a number of issues pertaining to the Affordable Care Act (ACA). They include issues pertaining to COBRA and the Children’s Health Insurance Program Reauthorization Act (CHIPRA), annual cost-sharing limits, preventive care, [&hellip… Continue Reading »
06/28/2012

U.S. Supreme Court Rules that Affordable Care Act Is Constitutional

In its highly anticipated decision in National Federation of Independent Business et al. v. Sebelius, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled this morning that the “individual mandate” set forth in the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act is constitutional. As a result, almost every individual in the United States must either obtain health coverage—through an employer, [&hellip… Continue Reading »
01/19/2012

Health and Welfare Benefits in 2012

Although the pace of new legislation affecting health and other welfare benefits has slowed after the first two years of the Obama Administration, plan sponsors will find no shortage of developments to monitor and implement in 2012. This alert provides a very brief review of recent developments and matters to watch in the new calendar [&hellip… Continue Reading »
02/02/2011

Federal District Court in Florida Strikes Down Health Care Reform

In a widely reported decision, a federal district judge in Florida has declared the health care reform law enacted last year to be unconstitutional. The decision, issued January 31, 2011, holds that Congress exceeded its authority under the Commerce Clause of the U.S. Constitution by enacting a mandate that requires individuals to purchase a minimum [&hellip… Continue Reading »
12/15/2010

Court Strikes Down Health Care Reform Individual Coverage Mandate

A federal district court in Virginia has ruled that a key provision of the national health care reform legislation is unconstitutional. The court’s ruling strikes down the Minimum Essential Coverage Provision, also known as the “individual coverage mandate,” scheduled to take effect in 2014. This provision requires individuals to purchase a minimum level of health [&hellip… Continue Reading »
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