The Affordable Care Act includes a plethora of new regulations, employer requirements, and potential penalties for employers that have group health plans. Almost from the moment it passed, many pundits suggested that frustrated employers should simply eliminate their group health plan and pay the penalty which they predicted would be cheaper than the cost of their current health plan. As we
Dennis Maggart

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Topics: health plan, healthcare reform, Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act, PPACA, Tips & Ideas
As we have already learned, large employers under PPACA may be subject to a new “Pay or Play” penalty. These potential penalties only apply to employers with 50 or more Full-Time Equivalent employees. While part-time employees will count against employers when determining whether they are subject to these penalties part-time employees do not count when
Topics: healthcare, PPACA, Tips & Ideas
Healthcare Reform includes several provisions that apply to all groups, regardless of their size. One of the most important provisions for the food service industry is the new non-discrimination rules. Included in the PPACA requirements was the expansion of existing non-discrimination rules to small, fully-insured groups. These rules will have limited impact in some industries, but will have a significant
Topics: healthcare, PPACA, Tips & Ideas
PPACA has been a very perplexing challenge for employers and their consultants since its passage in 2008. Simply by its size it created confusion and frustration for those who tried to grasp its many complex provisions and requirements. Since it dealt with nearly all aspects of our healthcare system, the interaction of each section and ultimately how employers, employees, carriers and healthcare
Topics: healthcare, PPACA, Tips & Ideas
In the previous articles we explained that the size of your workforce will be a key determinant in how troublesome your compliance will be under PPACA. If you have over 50 full-time equivalent employees you will be subject to potential Pay or Play penalties which could cost you tens of thousands of dollars. While this sounds scary, one of the unique aspects of PPACA provides an
Topics: Tips & Ideas
PPACA Series: Ten new words you’ll need to know to understand healthcare reform
Now that the chaos of court challenges and the election have subsided it’s time to get down to the task of living with PPACA. Some industries will have little problem with complying with the new healthcare reform rules, while other businesses (like restaurants) will see a quantum shift in how they run their operation. Those that adapt the quickest will be the winners.
Topics: benefits, healthcare, healthcare reform, Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act, PPACA, Tips & Ideas
Understanding the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (PPACA)
I have been asked by ShiftNote to write a periodic blog series regarding healthcare reform. At first I was skeptical, while I had been working on healthcare reform issues and their impact on my clients I didn't know if this format would work for such a complex subject matter. I have been a health benefit consultant for over 30 years and have been focused on the Patient Protection and Affordable Care
Topics: benefits, healthcare, healthcare reform, Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act, PPACA, Tips & Ideas