Employers have long been anticipating sample notices from the Department of Labor (“DOL”) that are required under the Affordable Care Act, informing employees (i) of the existence of the health care exchange (“Exchange”) and certain information about the services provided through the Exchange; (ii) of the possibility that in certain circumstances the employee may be … Continue Reading
According to a new report from healthcare market research firm Kalorama Information, the market for Electronic Medical Records (EMRs) was $20.7 billion in 2012, up 15 percent from $17.9 billion in 2011. The EMR market includes revenues from EMR and Computerized Physician Order Entry (CPOE) systems as well as directly-related services such as installation, training, … Continue Reading
Many employers offer group health plan coverage to domestic partners of their eligible employees. This extension of coverage is purely voluntary and not legally required, either presently or even next year under the mandates facing large employers under the Affordable Care Act (“ACA”). However, for a variety of reasons related to employee morale, recruiting and … Continue Reading
The Affordable Care Act (“ACA”) generally limits the maximum length of employer-sponsored group health plans’ waiting periods to no more than 90-days in 2014. In the March 21, 2013 Federal Register, the U.S. Department of Labor, Health and Human Services , and the Internal Revenue Service jointly released proposed regulations to provide guidance to employers … Continue Reading
The Affordable Care Act (ACA) was enacted on March 23, 2010. As we recognize the third anniversary of this comprehensive legislation, it is worth noting that although the ACA is not a tax bill, the law has almost fifty tax provisions. These include the imposition of taxes and fees, new requirements to report to the … Continue Reading
The interplay between the Affordable Care Act (“ACA”) legislation/interpreting regulations and existing state insurance laws continues to evolve. To further complicate matters, the regulators’ own positions on certain state insurance law issues have themselves changed over time. For example, some state insurance laws permit insurers to require small groups to maintain certain threshold participation or … Continue Reading
While one of the greatest benefits of the federal Affordable Care Act (“ACA”) is better access for all to quality healthcare, theoretically resulting in lower health care expenditures, there also are costs associated with the ACA. Many of these costs take the form of additional fees on participating insurers and health maintenance organizations in our … Continue Reading
Historically, federal and state regulations designed to control healthcare costs have focused on preventing fraud and abuse and self-referrals. Prior to adoption of the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act in 2010, the Anti-Kickback Statute and the Stark Law were probably the most frequently referenced healthcare statutes. Both of these statutes, which have been in … Continue Reading
2013 is shaping up to be a very busy year for employers in all industries, with the continued implementation of the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (“ACA”). Recognizing that in 2014, applicable large employers will avoid ACA-related penalty taxes by offering required affordable group health plan coverage just to full-time employees (i.e., those working … Continue Reading
It would not be hyperbole to state that in the next several years we will bear witness to a sea of change in how our nation’s healthcare system operates. There are dozens of issues that will affect healthcare in 2013 and beyond. We have identified four categories of issues that will likely pose the greatest … Continue Reading
