IRS Set to Nail Employers on ACA

The Internal Revenue Service is acting to help individuals who are eligible for Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (Obamacare) health subsidies and who live in regions where exchange insurers do not offer bronze (lowest-cost) coverage, even as it moves ahead to nail employers failing to comply with Obamacare's employer shared responsibility rules (commonly referred to as the "employer mandate"). IRS New Individual Obamacare Relief Notice 2017-74  will provide that individuals who are not eligible for coverage under an eligible employer-sponsored plan and who lack access to affordable coverage should not be denied the use of the affordability exemption under § 5000A(e)(1) of the code and § 1.5000A-3(e) of the regulations merely because they reside in an area served by a marketplace that does not offer a bronze-level plan. Consequently, for purposes of the affordability exemption under § 5000A(e)(1) and § 1.5000A-3(e), if an individual resides in a rating area served by a marketplace that does not offer a bronze plan, the individual generally should use the lowest-cost metal-level plan available in the marketplace serving the rating area in which the individual resides. Notice 2017-74 will be in IRB 2017-51, dated Dec. 18, 2017. See also: Optimizing Financing in Healthcare   Employers Still Face Obamacare Penalties While the IRS has issued limited relief for individuals from the ACA's individual mandate penalties, so far it has remained steadfast in its refusal to grant employers corresponding relief from the ACA employer-shared responsibility penalties or other ACA penalties. Instead, IRS officials continue to make clear that the IRS intends to enforce the ACA employer-shared responsibility rules against employers with 50 or more full-time employees (including full-time equivalent employees). Under the Obamacare employer mandate rules, covered employers face significant federal tax penalties for (1) failing to offer minimal essential coverage to substantially all full-time employees and their dependents (the “A Penalty”), or (2) offering coverage that is either “unaffordable” or does not provide “minimum value” (the “B Penalty”) if a full-time employee enrolls in the health insurance marketplace and receives a premium tax credit. While many employers assumed President Trump's Jan. 20, 2017, executive order "Minimizing the Economic Burden of the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act Pending Repeal" would insulate them against enforcement of the employer mandate and other Obamacare penalties, the IRS doesn't see the executive order as barring its enforcement of Obamacare against sponsoring employers or their group health plans. In an April 14, 2017, IRS Chief Counsel letter, for instance, the IRS announced it does not interpret its discretionary authority under Obamacare to allow waiver of the employer mandate tax imposed under Internal Revenue Code Section 4980H against covered employers that fail to provide the affordable minimum essential coverage required by the employer mandate. In keeping with this interpretation, the IRS has announced that it will begin enforcement of the employer mandate tax liability for plan years after 2015 against covered employers that failed to meet the employer mandate. Of course, the employer mandate is not the only Obamacare provision that employers and their health plans need to worry about. In addition to the employer mandate, Obamacare imposed a host of patient protection and other federal mandates upon employer-sponsored plans, most of which apply to plans covering two or more employees. In addition to any benefit and other administrative penalties that otherwise arise under the Employee Retirement Income Security Act or the Social Security Act for violating these mandates, employers sponsoring plans that violate any of 40 listed mandates imposed by Obamacare or certain other federal laws also become liable under Internal Revenue Code Section 6039D to self-identify, self-assess, report on Form 8928 and pay an excise tax equal to $100 per person per uncorrected violation. The IRS, Department Of Labor and Department Of Health and Human Services have taken the position that the Jan. 20 executive order also does not bar enforcement of those Obamacare penalties. Accordingly, employers and their group health plans continue to face potentially substantial liability if their group health plan does not comply with Obamacare. See also: U.S. Healthcare: No Simple Insurtech Fix   In the face of these exposures, employers and their group health plan should carefully review their plans and their administration for compliance before the end of the plan year so as to be able to take appropriate and timely corrective action before penalties attach and while stop loss or other insurance is available to help mitigate the cost of these corrections. Employers preparing for health plan renewals also should review their group contracts and conduct due diligence to verify their group health plans terms and operations meet the mandates as they initiate new plan years. Employers also generally will want to review their compliance and take action to address any deficiencies against any vendors or advisers who may have culpability in the defective health plan design or administration. Prompt action against vendors who may be culpable for the design or administration defects is necessary to preserve potential claims for deceptive trade practices or other causes of action that an employer might have under state contract, tort or other law. Employers and health plan fiduciaries should consider engaging experienced legal counsel to conduct this review on behalf of the employer or other plan sponsor within the scope of attorney-client privilege so as to assess and address these potential risks on a timely basis.