© 2012 Waller Lansden Dortch & Davis, LLP. All Rights Reserved. Impact of the Affordable Care Act...
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Transcript of © 2012 Waller Lansden Dortch & Davis, LLP. All Rights Reserved. Impact of the Affordable Care Act...
© 2012 Waller Lansden Dortch & Davis, LLP. All Rights Reserved.
Impact of the Affordable Care Act
Nashville Association for Financial ProfessionalsFebruary 14, 2013
James B. [email protected]
10568079
© 2012 Waller Lansden Dortch & Davis, LLP. All Rights Reserved.| 2
Employee Health Benefits –New Business Decisions For Employers
| 3| 3
Health Law Status Before PPACA
Employer-driven based on tax incentives
ERISA – “settlor” discretion on plan design
ERISA – fiduciary claims administration
Medicare and FAS 106
EMTALA – patient anti-dumping, charity care
Universal Coverage? Cost?
| 4| 4
Employer Obligations
Federal/state mandates – ERISA preemption
HIPAA –pre-existing condition exclusions– Maximum exclusion is 12 months
– No exclusion if coverage break is 63 days
Non-discrimination testing for self-funded plans
Summary description of plan, notice of changes within six months – judicial exceptions
| 5| 5
Popular Changes - Talking Points
Employer Plans Grandfathered
Dependent care through age 26
No pre-existing exclusions – up to age 19; universal in 2014
Community Rating – “affordable”
| 6| 6
Supreme Court Decision
“It’s a Tax Stupid”
– No expansion of interstate commerce
Medicaid unconstitutional – Medicaid funding cannot be withheld for states that opt out
How much tax is ok under equal protection?
| 7| 7
Mandated Health Coverage – Pay or Play
Effective January 1, 2014
Employer Mandate
– Focused on “Large” employers
– Most larger employers are “self-funded”
– Employer as “Settlor” and “Fiduciary”
Individual Mandate
Federal and State Exchanges
| 8| 8
Employer Mandate - Play or Pay
Large employers - 50+ FTEs
– Headcount/30 hours
Must provide “minimum essential coverage”
– Workers at 30+ hours
Employer must provide financial support
– employee premium share cannot exceed 9.5% of income
– plan’s share of benefit cost at least 60%
| 9| 9
Employer Mandate – Tax Enforcement
Per employee tax if plan is not “affordable”
$2,000 per employee tax if no “minimum essential coverage”
$3,000 tax for each employee enrolling in exchange or receiving premium credit
Exclude first 30 employees in calculating tax
| 10| 10
Individual Mandate
Must obtain “minimum essential coverage”
– Through employer or exchange
Tax subsidies assist purchase, based on income
– Employer “pay or play” tax covers subsidies
– Provider reports– W-2 for employer plan
Expands Medicaid – although states can opt out
| 11| 11
Individual Mandate
Tax penalty to enforce individual mandate
– Minimum of $95, phased increases to $695 in 2016 – based on income, up to 3x
– Percentage of income test, 1% phased increases up to 2.5%
– Assistance and exceptions for lower income families
No Time Limit
– EMTALA, Pre-existing ok, Community rating
| 12| 12
Cost Containment
Comparative Effectiveness Research
– Patient-Centered Outcome Research Institute (PCORI)
– Non-profit created by government, funded by taxes
– Compares clinical effectiveness of medical treatment options, communications, healthcare disparity
– Designed to “pry savings” from healthcare
Preventive Care – Wellness
Managed Care?
| 13| 13
Grandfathered Plan Status
Plans in existence on March 23, 2010 grandfathered from most requirements
Status is lost if materially modified
– Changes to cost sharing
– Changes to employer share of premiums
Employers will have continual decisions on maintaining grandfather
© 2012 Waller Lansden Dortch & Davis, LLP. All Rights Reserved.| 14
New Employer Obligations to Employees
| 15| 15
Employer Obligations
Standardized summary of plan benefits and coverage
– Template available on DOL website – 4 pages
– Can be part of summary plan description (SPD)
– Applies now
| 16| 16
Employer Obligations
Form W-2 report aggregate cost of coverage for self-funded plans– Used to determine tax credits and tax penalties
– Dept. of Labor valuation methods
• HHS MV Calculator
• Safe-harbor Checklist
• Actuarial Checklist
| 17| 17
Employer Obligations
Submit to HHS and state insurance commissioner policies, practices, medical loss ratio, etc.
Additional IRS reporting requirements for covered employers in 2014
60-day prior notice of material modifications to plan
| 18| 18
Employer Obligations
Accommodations for nursing mothers
– Employers must provide reasonable, unpaid break time for one year after birth
– Location shielded from view
– Similar to many existing state laws
| 19| 19
Employee Status
Many requirements do not apply to smaller employers
– See over 50, over 30 mandates and penalties
– Full-time equivalent calculations – divide hours worked by 2,080, etc.
Worker classification?
– Compare independent contractor vs. employee to retain small employer status
| 20| 20
Employer Obligations
“Whistleblower” Employee Protections
– Cannot retaliate against employee for reporting, testifying about, or objecting to a reasonably believed violation of PPACA
– Complaints investigated by OSHA
– Similar to Sarbanes-Oxley procedures
– New source of employment litigation?
| 22| 22
Plan Design and Requirements
Healthcare reform imposes many rules for employer plans including:
– Coverage of dependents to age 26
– New hire waiting period 90 days or less
– Universal preexisting condition coverage
Medical Loss Ratio
– Spend 85% of premium (80% small plan) or refund
| 23| 23
Plan Design and Requirements
No lifetime limits on “essential health benefits”
Cannot rescind health benefits other than for fraud/intentional misrepresentation
Limits on annual cost sharing
– Total $5,950 for individual, $11,500 for family
– Annual deductible $2,000 for single, $4,000 for spouse and family coverage
| 24| 24
Plan Design and Requirements
Automatic health plan enrollment required for employers with 200 or more employees
– Auto for new employees, renewal for current employees
– Employees may opt out
– Logistical issues – effective after DOL regulations
• Payroll programming, notices, etc.
| 25| 25
Wellness Incentives – Cost Savings
Many wellness incentives – similar to current practices
Premium discounts for wellness ok if
– Made available to all similarly situated employees
– Up to 30% discount on employee-paid cost (50% if regulation)
– Must be reasonably designed to promote health
– Individuals may qualify at least annually
| 26| 26
Wellness Incentives
Health plans must cover without cost sharing
– Immunizations
– Preventive care, screenings for children until adolescent
– Screenings, preventive care for women (mammogram, cervical cancer, genetic counseling)
– Evidence-based items or services (blood pressure, diabetes, cholesterol test, wellness counseling, etc.)
More under development
| 28| 28
Tax Credits
Small Employer Tax Credit (temporary)
– 25 or fewer full-time equivalents
– Plan covers at least 50% of premium cost
– Average annual wages less than $50,000
Based on average employer or small group premium
35% premium credit, 50% in 2014
– 25%/35% for tax-exempts
– Not available after 2016
– Phased out based on employees/wages
| 29| 29
Cadillac Tax
Beginning in 2018 for High Cost Plan
– 40% excise tax on “excess benefit”
• Premiums above $27,500 family, $10,200 single
• Includes contributions to FSA, HRA, employer HSA
– Does not apply to dental, vision, long-term care, after-tax indemnity
– Employer calculates and reports tax, must notify HHS and providers
| 30| 30
Revenue Enhancements
Flexible spending accounts limited to $2,500
Over-the-counter ineligible for HRA, FSA and HSA – 2011
Penalty for ineligible HSA payments increased from 10% to 20% – 2011
| 31| 31
Medicare Tax Increase - 2013
Additional 0.9% - $200,000/250,000
– 2.35% or 3.8% if self-employed
3.8% on investment income $200,000/250,000
– Capital gains/dividends 20% @$400/450,000