Covered California

As the implications of health care reform become more apparent, large employers are increasingly grappling with coverage options to avoid the penalties. Over the past few months, there has been considerably more attention paid to the problems faced by the staffing industry and similar employers as these temporary and variable hour employees are generally common law employees of the organization, and ultimately such companies are on the hook as it relates to offering health coverage. One option some employers are looking at is the offer of a “no minimum value plan” – this is a group health plan that provides medical care,
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The Obama administration announced today that it will extend the deadline for the implementation of the health care mandate for medium sized businesses to 2016. Employers with 50 - 99 workers are given a two year reprieve on offering health care to their full-time employees. Requirements for companies with 100 or more workers are reduced by 25%. Larger employer (over 100 employees) are also seeing their requirement to offer health care to their full-time employees reduced from 95% to 70%. The administration claims that stratifying the two phase-ins for businesses across America will ease the financial and administrative burdens for employers
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WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The Obama administration is delaying enforcement of a provision of the new healthcare law that prohibits employers from providing better health benefits to top executives than to other employees, the New York Times reported on Saturday. Tax officials said they would not enforce the provision this year because they had yet to issue regulations for employers to follow, according to the Times. Internal Revenue Service spokesman Bruce Friedland said employers would not have to comply until the agency issued regulations or other guidance, the newspaper reported. The IRS was not immediately available to confirm the Times story. The
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Employers are continuing looking for solutions that help manage there businesses more efficiently and also navigate the provisions of the Affordable Care Act (ACA).  If it make sense, employers should consider looking at alternative funding options - like Self Funding or Level Premium programs. For those of you looking at these options, below are the provisions that do and don't apply. ACA Provisions That Do Apply: Minimum Value Plans Unlimited lifetime maximums Out of pocket & deductible limits Kids to age 26 Summary of Benefits and Coverages (SBC’s) 60-Day Notice of Material Modification 90-Day waiting period (exempt from California’s 60 Day)
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