Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act

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Yesterday, the Obama administration announced a partial delay in the effective date of one of the key requirements of the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (“PPACA”) – the employer “shared responsibility” requirements (a.k.a. “pay or play”).
Continue Reading PPACA Update: Employer Shared Responsibility Mandate Delayed Again…For Some Employers, But Not All

Employers are required to provide a notice to employees regarding coverage options under the new Health Insurance Marketplaces created by the Affordable Care Act that are scheduled to be up and running on October 1. Much is uncertain about how the rollout of the Health Insurance Marketplaces will go on October 1; however, one thing is for certain: employees are likely to have many questions and misunderstandings regarding their options under the Affordable Care Act.
Continue Reading Healthcare Reform Update: The Top Five Questions Employees Will Be Asking on October 1

As readers of this blog are surely aware, the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (PPACA) imposes a number of new obligations on employers and private health insurance plans. Effective January 1, 2013, most private employers with 50 or more employees must provide health insurance coverage for women’s preventative services, including reproductive health screenings and contraception, without charging a co-pay, deductible, or co-insurance. Failure to provide such coverage can lead to financial penalties of up to one hundred dollars per day per employee who is not provided with the required coverage. A limited exception is available for religious institutions, giving such employers the option of whether to cover contraception services. Over 60 lawsuits are pending around the country by for-profit companies and non-profits alike, challenging the constitutionality of the contraception requirement on religious grounds and seeking to block its enforcement. Late last week, the Third Circuit Court of Appeals issued a ruling on one such challenge brought by a private family-owned business in Pennsylvania.
Continue Reading Third Circuit Denies Pennsylvania Business’s Challenge to Contraception Mandate

As we discussed with attendees at our most recent health care reform compliance seminar in June, we wanted to make the presentation available to the readers of our blog. You can access the PowerPoint, “Countdown to 2014: PPACA Compliance Priorities for Employers,” by clicking through to this blog post.
Continue Reading PPACA Presentation – Countdown to 2014: PPACA Compliance Opportunities for Employers

Many employers received a welcome, though temporary, reprieve yesterday, when the U.S. Department of the Treasury announced a one-year delay in the effective date of one of the key requirements of the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act – the employer “shared responsibility” requirements (a.k.a. “pay or play”).
Continue Reading PPACA Update: Employer Shared Responsibility Mandate Delayed Until 2015

Although the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act is now over three years old, the Act’s core requirements will not take effect until 2014. The last half of 2013 should be a “wild ride” as the federal agencies charged with implementing the Act scramble to prepare for 2014 and employers weigh their compliance options. Recently, attorneys in McNees Wallace & Nurick LLC’s Labor and Employment Law Group prepared a white paper entitled: “Health Care Reform Update: Countdown to 2014.” The White Paper is part of our ongoing PPACA series that is intended to keep clients abreast of recent developments and things to watch for as we count down to 2014. This installment addresses:

1. PCORI Fees: July 2013 Filing Deadline
2. Compliance Loopholes, Shortcuts and Silver Bullets
3. Update on Required Notice of Health Care Exchanges
4. Final Wellness Program Regulations…
Continue Reading Health Care Reform Update: Countdown to 2014