The Affordable Care Act will require employer sponsored plans to honor vouchers to help pay the cost of coverage for certain lower income individuals and children.
Employers and their health plans will face new responsibilities to figure relevant family income, to provide information about their plans and costs of coverage, and to follow voucher handling requirements for employees and others whose coverage will be paid for in whole or in part with these low-income vouchers. While the rules are still evolving, employers and health plans nevertheless need to start preparing to meet these new responsibilities. Employers and heatlh plans need to keep an eye on the development of these rules at the Federal and state level and begin planning for how they will administer these responsibilities.
A Kaiser Family Foundation Issue Brief discusses some of the ways and implications of income determinations to be made for this purpose.
For Help With Investigations, Policy Updates Or Other Needs
If you have questions or need help responding to the RFI or have any questions or need help understanding or dealing with these or any other workforce management, employee benefits, compensation or other internal control concerns, please contact the author of this update, Board Certified Labor and Employment attorney and management consultant Cynthia Marcotte Stamer here or at (469)767-8872.
Ms. Stamer has advised, represented, trained, and defend a broad range of employer, employee benefit plan, insurance and other clients in relation to electronic and other communications and other employee benefit concerns and frequently publishes and is interviewed about electronic and other employee benefit plan communications and other employee benefit plan matters. Chair of the ABA RPTE Employee Benefit and Other Compensation Committee, a council member of the ABA Joint Committee on Employee Benefits, and the Legislative Chair of the Dallas Human Resources Management Association Government Affairs Committee, Ms. Stamer helps businesses, employee benefit plans and other organizations solve problems, develop and implement strategies to manage people, processes, and regulatory exposures to achieve their business and operational objectives and manage legal, operational and other risks. Board certified in labor and employment law by the Texas Board of Legal Specialization, with more than 23 years management-focused human resource and employee benefits experience, Ms. Stamer helps businesses manage their people-related risks and the performance of their internal and external workforce though appropriate human resources, employee benefit, worker’s compensation, insurance, outsourcing and risk management strategies domestically and internationally. Throughout her career, Ms. Stamer has continuously has advised and represented a broad range of fiduciaries, plan sponsors, bankruptcy trustees, creditors, debtors, service providers and their officers and directors about the prevention, investigation, mitigation and resolutions of civil and criminal liability arising from suspected or know breaches of fiduciary duty, fraud or other misconduct involving health, pension or other employee benefit and insurance arrangements. As a continuing part of this representation, Ms. Stamer regularly represents and defends plan sponsors, fiduciaries, third party administrators and other service providers and management officials in dealings with the Department of Labor, Department of Justice, Department of Health & Human Services, Department of Defense, Securities and Exchange Commission, state insurance regulators, state attorneys general and other federal and state regulators and prosecutors and private plaintiffs in connection with investigations, prosecutions, audits and other actions arising from employee benefit, insurance and related arrangements and products.
Recognized in the International Who’s Who of Professionals and bearing the Martindale Hubble Premier AV-Rating, Ms. Stamer also is a highly regarded author and speaker, who regularly conducts management and other training on a wide range of labor and employment, employee benefit, human resources, internal controls and other related risk management matters. Her writings frequently are published by the American Bar Association (ABA), Aspen Publishers, Bureau of National Affairs, the American Health Lawyers Association, SHRM, World At Work, Government Institutes, Inc., Atlantic Information Services, Employee Benefit News, and many others. For a listing of some of these publications and programs, see here. Her insights on human resources risk management matters also have been quoted in The Wall Street Journal, various publications of The Bureau of National Affairs and Aspen Publishing, the Dallas Morning News, Spencer Publications, Health Leaders, Business Insurance, the Dallas and Houston Business Journals and a host of other publications. In addition to her many ABA leadership involvements, she also serves in leadership positions in numerous human resources, corporate compliance, and other professional and civic organizations. Her insights on these and other matters appear in the Bureau of National Affairs, Spencer Publications, the Wall Street Journal, the Dallas Business Journal, the Houston Business Journal, World At Work, the ICEBS, SHRM and many other national and local publications. For additional information about Ms. Stamer and her experience or to access other publications by Ms. Stamer see here or contact Ms. Stamer directly.
Other Helpful Resources & Information
If you found this article of interest, you also may be interested in reviewing other Breaking News, articles and other resources available here including:
- IRS Guidance On Affordable Care Act Requirement That Employers Report Cost of Health Coverage On W-2 Released
- Plan Sponsors. Their Owners & Management & Others Risk Personal Liability If Others Defraud Plans or Mismanage Employee Benefit Plan Responsibilities
- Health Plans, Insurers Get Limited & Imperfect Relief From Grace Period Extension For Some New Affordable Care Act Health Claims & Appeals Rules
- EEOC Finalizes Updates To Disability Regulations In Response to ADA Amendments Act
- Speak Up On The 1st Anniversary of Health Care Reform
- CMS Publishes Proposed Consumer Disclosure Notices Detailing Required Health Insurer Rate Increase Justification Disclosures
- Avoiding Liability For Another’s Health Plan Fraud
- Health Plans & Employers Beware! $4.3 Million Civil Penalty Shows OCR Serious About HIPAA Enforcement
- IRS Expands When HFSAs & HRAS May Allow Over-The-Counter Drug Purchases With Drug Cards
- IRS, HHS & DOL To Delay Enforcement of New Insured Group Health Plan Non-Discrimination Rules Pending Guidance; Seek Public Input on Rules
If you or someone else you know would like to receive future updates about developments on these and other concerns, please be sure that we have your current contact information – including your preferred e-mail – by creating or updating your profile here. For important information concerning this communication click here. If you do not wish to receive these updates in the future, unsubscribe by updating your profile here.
THE FOLLOWING DISCLAIMER IS INCLUDED TO COMPLY WITH AND IN RESPONSE TO U.S. TREASURY DEPARTMENT CIRCULAR 230 REGULATIONS. ANY STATEMENTS CONTAINED HEREIN ARE NOT INTENDED OR WRITTEN BY THE WRITER TO BE USED, AND NOTHING CONTAINED HEREIN CAN BE USED BY YOU OR ANY OTHER PERSON, FOR THE PURPOSE OF (1) AVOIDING PENALTIES THAT MAY BE IMPOSED UNDER FEDERAL TAX LAW, OR (2) PROMOTING, MARKETING OR RECOMMENDING TO ANOTHER PARTY ANY TAX-RELATED TRANSACTION OR MATTER ADDRESSED HEREIN.
©2011 Cynthia Marcotte Stamer, P.C. Non-exclusive Right To Republish Granted To Solutions Law Press, Inc. All other rights reserved.
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