PPACA’s Jan. 1, 2014, effective date will be here sooner than you think. The stress of this impending law is compounded by its complicated nature – it has many provisions that depend on employee size, as well as other factors.
To alleviate PPACA compliance anxiety, employers need resources that clearly explain which provisions affect them so they can make the best decisions. The following four guides will help you get started:
1. Confused About What PPACA Changes To Make When? This compliance timeline helps employers prepare for key milestones related to:
- Plan design requirements
- Other plan provisions
- Employer reporting requirements
- Employee notice requirements
- Individual mandates
- Exchanges
- Insurer provisions
- Medicaid expansion
- Nondiscrimination requirements
- Automatic enrollment
- Fees and “Cadillac” taxes
2. Counting Employees Under PPACA: This guide helps employers determine how many employees they have for several purposes under PPACA. Make sure you are counting your employees correctly so you are not surprised with stiff fees. Learn the basics about:
- The definitions of full time employees
- How to count part-time employees on a pro-rata basis
- How to treat seasonal employees
- Who the law considers an “employee”
- Counting hours correctly
- Determining average hours worked
- Penalties that result if a “large employer” doesn’t offer coverage
3. What Is Your State Doing with Exchanges and Medicaid? This comprehensive chart that shows where each state stands on its:
- Exchange Election: whether the state will run the health exchange themselves, or if the federal government will run the exchange for the state
- Medicaid Election: whether the state will expand Medicaid to cover most individuals whose income is below 133 percent of the federal poverty level
4. PPACA Executive Summary: This PPACA overview document provides a list of changes that employers should already be making and obligations employers must fulfill between now and 2014.
You can stay apprised of other PPACA employer obligations by visiting the UBA Compliance Resource Center at www.UBAbenefits.com.
