December 20, 2012 Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act
KEEPING YOU INFORMED…
As you know, Congress enacted the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (“the ACA”). Several provisions of the ACA go into effect on January 1, 2014. Among those provisions, and one about which we have received many questions, is the requirement that employers provide health insurance coverage to “full-time” employees; i.e., those who work at least 30 hours per week. Generally, the ACA requires that employers with 200 or more employees automatically enroll full-time employees in their health insurance plans and that employers with at least 50 employees provide “minimum essential coverage” to full-time employees. “Minimal essential coverage” includes, among other things, coverage through an employer-sponsored plan.
At this time, no interim or final regulations have been issued to provide clarification on which employees will fall under the “30 hour” definition and what time counts toward that threshold. We will continue to monitor the status of those regulations and provide you with updates as they become available.
Please contact us if you have any questions regarding the information contained in this memorandum.
THIS MEMORANDUM IS MEANT TO ASSIST IN GENERAL UNDERSTANDING OF THE CURRENT LAW. IT IS NOT TO BE REGARDED AS LEGAL ADVICE. THOSE WITH PARTICULAR QUESTIONS SHOULD SEEK THE ADVICE OF COUNSEL.
© Lamb & Barnosky, LLP, 2012