The Internal Revenue Service has been sending Letter 5699 to employers that have not complied with their ACA reporting requirements under Internal Revenue Code Section 6056 for the 2015 calendar year.

On May 21, 2018, the IRS issued Revenue Procedure 2018-34 to index the contribution percentages in 2019 for purposes of determining affordability of an employer’s plan under the Affordable Care Act. These updated affordability percentages are effective for taxable years and plan years beginning Jan. 1, 2019. This is a significant increase from the affordability contribution percentages for 2018. As a result, some employers may have additional flexibility with respect to their employee contributions for 2019 to meet the adjusted percentage.

A sure way to avoid ACA-IRS Reporting Fines at your fingertips.

On Dec. 22, 2017, the Internal Revenue Service issued Notice 2018-06 to:

On Dec. 20, 2017, the tax reform bill, called the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act, passed both the U.S. Senate and the U.S. House of Representatives. The bill is expected to be signed into law by President Donald Trump shortly.

The ACA has made a number of significant changes to group health plans since the law was enacted in 2010. Certain changes to some ACA requirements take effect in 2018 for employers sponsoring group health plans, such as increased dollar limits. To prepare for 2018, employers should review upcoming requirements and develop a compliance strategy.

On Oct. 6, 2017, the Departments of Labor, Health and Human Services and the Treasury (Departments) issued two interim final rules expanding certain exemptions from the Affordable Care Act’s (ACA) contraceptive coverage mandate.

On Sept. 27, 2017, the Trump administration—in conjunction with Republican Congressional leadership—released a tax reform plan designed to make significant changes to the federal tax code. This plan is intended to serve as a template for the Congressional tax writing committees that will develop tax reform legislation.

On May 4, 2017, the U.S. House of Representatives passed its proposed bill to repeal and replace the Affordable Care Act (ACA), called the American Health Care Act (AHCA). Then, on June 22, 2017, Republicans in the U.S. Senate released a discussion draft of their proposal, called the Better Care Reconciliation Act (BCRA). On July 3, 2017, the Congressional Research Service (CRS) issued a comparison report of the House’s AHCA and the Senate’s BCRA.

The opioid epidemic--a key focal point of health care reform negotiations in Washington—resulted in 22,000 deaths nationally in 2015 alone, and according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, “prescription opioids continue to be involved in more overdose deaths than any other drug.”