U.S. Senator Orrin Hatch (R-Utah), Ranking Member of the Senate Finance Committee, says the premium subsidy provisions of the Patient Protection & Affordable Care act (Affordable Care Act) does not authorize the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) to allow individuals purchasing coverage through a federal health insurance exchange to receive the tax credits and subsidies authorized under new Internal Revenue Code § 36B to offset the cost of being mandated to buy health insurance created under Affordable Care Act Section 1311.
As created under the Affordable Care Act, Internal Revenue Code (Code) § 36B grates a refundable tax credit for certain individuals purchasing qualifying health insurance coverage from a qualified health plan. According to Senator Hatch, IRS proposed regulations here to implement Code § 36B would violate its provisions by allowing individuals that buy coverage through federal exchanges to claim premium tax credits because the express language of the statute only calls for amounts paid for coverage from “State” exchanges to count when calculating the amount of the credit. Read more details here.
For Help or More Information
If you need help reviewing and updating, administering or defending your group health or other employee benefit, human resources, insurance, health care matters or related documents or practices, please contact the author of this update, Cynthia Marcotte Stamer.
A Fellow in the American College of Employee Benefit Council, immediate past Chair of the American Bar Association (ABA) RPTE Employee Benefits & Other Compensation Group and current Co-Chair of its Welfare Benefit Committee, Vice-Chair of the ABA TIPS Employee Benefits Committee, a council member of the ABA Joint Committee on Employee Benefits, and past Chair of the ABA Health Law Section Managed Care & Insurance Interest Group, Ms. Stamer is recognized, internationally, nationally and locally for her more than 24 years of work, advocacy, education and publications on cutting edge health and managed care, employee benefit, human resources and related workforce, insurance and financial services, and health care matters.
A board certified labor and employment attorney widely known for her extensive and creative knowledge and experienced with these and other employment, employee benefit and compensation matters, Ms. Stamer continuously advises and assists employers, employee benefit plans, their sponsoring employers, fiduciaries, insurers, administrators, service providers, insurers and others to monitor and respond to evolving legal and operational requirements and to design, administer, document and defend medical and other welfare benefit, qualified and non-qualified deferred compensation and retirement, severance and other employee benefit, compensation, and human resources, management and other programs and practices tailored to the client’s human resources, employee benefits or other management goals. A primary drafter of the Bolivian Social Security pension privatization law, Ms. Stamer also works extensively with management, service provider and other clients to monitor legislative and regulatory developments and to deal with Congressional and state legislators, regulators, and enforcement officials concerning regulatory, investigatory or enforcement concerns.
Recognized in Who’s Who In American Professionals and both an American Bar Association (ABA) and a State Bar of Texas Fellow, Ms. Stamer serves on the Editorial Advisory Board of Employee Benefits News, the editor and publisher of Solutions Law Press HR & Benefits Update and other Solutions Law Press Publications, and active in a multitude of other employee benefits, human resources and other professional and civic organizations. She also is a widely published author and highly regarded speaker on these matters. 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, Modern and many other national and local publications. You can learn more about Ms. Stamer and her experience, review some of her other training, speaking, publications and other resources, and register to receive future updates about developments on these and other concerns from Ms. Stamer here.
Other Resources
If you found this update of interest, you also may be interested in reviewing some of the other updates and publications authored by Ms. Stamer available including:
- New Guidance On Fiduciary Duties In Handling ACA Group Health Plan Premium Rebates Highlight Advisability Of Tightening Funding Terms & Fund Handling Practices To Manage Fiduciary Risks
- Mental Health Parity Guidance On Mental Health & Substance Abuse Copays, Utilization Management Limits Released
- DFW Hospital Council Foundation Among 26 Organizations Selected To Lead Quality Effort
- Group Health Plans & Insurer To Get More Time To Meet Affordable Care Act Summary of Benefits and Coverage Requirements
- CMS Final Medicare Rule Imposes Many Conditions On Access To Medicare Claims Data To Evaluate Providers & Suppliers
- OSHA Updates Safety Resources To Prevent Construction, Other “Top 10″ Exposures
- OSHA Silo Safety Citations Heads Up To Grain Operators To Manage Safety
- OSHA Updates Safety Resources To Prevent Construction, Other “Top 10″ Exposures
- EBSA Releases Collection of New M-1 and Other Guidance Impacting Multiple Employer Welfare Plans
- New Obama Administration Affirmative Action Guidance Highlights Organization’s Need To Tighten Nondiscrimination Practices
- Incentives To Get Employee Into Wellness Education Requires Legal Risk Management
- HR Key Player In Managing Rising Risk of Disability, Other Discrimination Suits Under Obama Administration Justice Department
- HHS Chides Insurer For “Excessive” Premium Increases After Affordable Care Act Rate Audit
- IRS U-Tube Video Discusses 2012 Flexible Benefit Plan Rule Change
- Employers Considering Using New IRS Voluntary Worker Classification Settlement Program To Resolve Payroll Tax Risks Must Also Manage Other Legal Exposures
- Participant Notification Added To Required Procedures For Church Plan Determination Letter Requests
- HHS Credits Affordable Care Act Adult Dependent Child Coverage Rule With Getting 1 Million Young Adults Health Coverage
- 2010 Webcast Series on Federal Employer Employment of Persons With Disabilities Planned
- EBSA Plans To Include Health Care Reform Compliance In Health Plan Audits Beginning In FY 2012; Disputes OIG Criticism Of ACA Enforcement Efforts
- New Labor Department Video Tries To Educate Young Workers About Benefits & Benefit Rights
- Employer Assistance and Resource Network Offers Free Webinars For Employers During October In Honor of Disability Employment Awareness Month on Thursdays in October from 2:00 – 2:30 p.m. Eastern Time. Topics will include Employer Preparedness to Include Veterans with Disabilities
- HHS Projects Medicare Advantage Enrollment Will Rise As Premiums Decline In 2012; Plans Face Increased Regulation & Enforcement
- HHS Credits Health Reform For Getting Health Coverage For Added 1 Million Young Adults
- 4th Circuit Rejects Two Challenges To Affordable Care Act Constitutionality
- Stamer Named Fellow In American College of Employee Benefits Counsel
- ABA TIPS Section Appoints Cynthia Marcotte Stamer Vice Chair of Employee Benefits General Committee
- Affordable Care Act To Require Health Plans Cover Contraception & Other Women’s Health Procedures In 2012
- Company Executives, Plan Sponsors & Others May Face Personal Liability When Others Defraud Plans or Mismanage Employee Benefit Plan Responsibilities
- EEOC Finalizes Updates To Disability Regulations In Response to ADA Amendments Act: Employers Should Manage Risks
- Employer Charged With Misclassifying & Underpaying Workers To Pay $754,578 FLSA Back pay Settlement
- HHS Imposes 1st HIPAA Privacy Civil Penalty of $4.3 Million
- NLRB Settlement Shows Care Necessary When Employers Use Social Networking & Other Policies Restricting Employee Communications
- Wage & Hour Law Settlements Highlight Rising Wage & Hour Risks of U.S. Employers
- OCR Requires Rhode Island DHS To Provide Translation, Other Services For Limited English, Other Language Impaired Accommodations
- Incentives To Get Employee Into Wellness Education Requires Legal Risk Management
- HHS Chides Insurer For “Excessive” Premium Increases After Affordable Care Act Rate Audit
- Bill Extending Funding For Certain Veteran Medical and Other Projects Heads To President
- Texas Health Care Organizations Among 26 Organizations Receiving Awards To Promote Health Care Quality, Safety & Affordability
- Education Key To Helping Low-Income Families Make Better Health Choices
- Poor Planning & Execution Often Tank Wellness Programs
- Health Care Reform’s Pre-Existing Condition Insurance Plan Covers Fewer Than 50,000 of Millions With Pre-Existing Conditions
- Personal Responsibility: How Should It Play Into Who Gets Help Under Health Care Reform?
- ONC Awards Key Contract To Develop Patient Electronic Consent Trial Project
- Finding Ways To Pay For Mental Health: Kaiser Studies Examine Medicaid & Other Mental Health Financing Needs & Options
- Recap of IRS Employee Plans 2011 1st Quarter Guidance
- CMS Adds “Physician Compare” Feature To Healthcare Provider Directory
- Join Project COPE: Help Develop Real Tools To Meaningfully Empower Patients & Improve Health Care Access, Affordability & Quality
About Solutions Law Press
Solutions Law Press™ provides business risk management, legal compliance, management effectiveness and other resources, training and education on human resources, employee benefits, compensation, data security and privacy, health care, insurance, and other key compliance, risk management, internal controls and other key operational concerns. If you find this of interest, you also be interested reviewing some of our other Solutions Law Press resources available at ww.solutionslawpress.com.
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©2011 Cynthia Marcotte Stamer, P.C. Non-exclusive license to republish granted to Solutions Law Press. All other rights reserved.