Federal regulators have delayed a health
care reform law provision requiring all employers subject to the Fair Labor Standards Act to provide all employees with a written notice about health insurance Exchanges (known in our state as Covered California).
The new deadline for distributing these notices will be late summer or fall of 2013, which will coordinate with the open enrollment period for the
Exchange.
It's expected that regulators will provide model, generic language on their website for employers to download. The notice will include:
• A description of the state health insurance Exchange, including contact information for the Exchange;
• A statement that employees may qualify for a tax credit to help pay for Exchange coverage if the employer’s plan does not p
rovide minimum value (i
.e., if the plan’s share of benefit costs does not equal or exceed 60% of the slots costs of coverage); and
• A statement regarding the financial and tax consequences of purchasing
coverage through the Exchange (i.e., that the employee will forego the employer-paid portion of the premium (if any) and the tax exclusion for the employer-sponsored coverage).
Download the FAQs that have been prepared by the Departments of Labor, Health and Human Services (HHS), and the Treasury.
http://www.dol.gov/ebsa/faqs/faq-aca11.html
As soon the requirements and model notice language are released, we’ll let you know so that your groups have adequate time to distribute them to their employees.