On January 1, 2015, employers with 100 or more “full-time equivalents” will be subject to the “Pay or Play” regulations under the Affordable Care Act (“ACA”). Over the past few years, many consultants have sought to identify loopholes in the law and lower-cost strategies for complying. Unfortunately for employers who were banking on these “workarounds,” the Internal Revenue Service and the U.S. Department of Labor both issued guidance this week dismissing several of the more aggressive strategies that have garnered attention in the press.
Continue Reading Feds Tighten the Belt on “Skinny Plans” and Other ACA Workarounds

The Associated Press reports that "California Rep. Hilda Solis won confirmation Tuesday as President Barack Obama’s labor secretary, giving the agency a decidedly pro-worker tilt after years of business-friendly leadership under the Bush administration…. The 80-17 vote ended more than a month of delays prompted by GOP concerns over Democrat Solis’ work for a pro-union