(Editor’s Note: Today’s post is brought to you by our friends at Kronos, the global leader in delivering workforce management solutions in the cloud. Kronos has developed a web page dedicated to helping companies with the implementation of the Affordable Care Act. Be sure to check it out and download their ebook on “Navigating the Affordable Care Act”.)
While the Affordable Care Act (ACA) doesn’t officially go into effect until January 1, 2014, there is a major provision of the Act that goes into effect on October 1, 2013. In case you’re not near a calendar, that’s ten days from now.
On October 1, the ACA requires employers to provide all new hires and current employees with a written notice about the health care exchanges. The Department of Labor (DOL) issued Technical Release 2013-02 to provide some guidance on the matter.
One look at the DOL’s technical advice speaks volumes. The ACA is a complicated law. Add to that the continued confusion about the ACA legalities, constitutionality, postponements and repeals. My guess is companies have been waiting for definitive answers and don’t have a plan in place. Well, it’s time to act. A few questions to consider:
- Does this law impact my business?
- What is “pay or play”?
- How will I track the 30/130 rule?
- When and how should I communicate to employees our plans?
…and the list goes on. No more waiting until the last minute to communicate their plans to employees. They need time to make their own decisions about health care coverage.
The intricacies and details of this new legislation are enough to make someone break out in hives. Just kidding. But I couldn’t help but chuckle at the latest Time Well Spent cartoon from our friends at Kronos.
The worst thing we can do is avoid dealing with the Affordable Care Act. We will continue to figure this new legislation out together.
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Kevin @ Growing Family Benefits says
My guess is many smaller employers have their heads stuck in the sand and/or their eyes glaze over trying to read the technical release. This is a nightmare for businesses simply struggling for survival. Adding these compliance duties can’t be good for business.
Employers do have a reprieve. The penalty for failing to notify employees has been waived for 2013, as have the penalties for not providing affordable coverage.
Bill Hargrove says
Thank you for the lemon juice in the paper cut! We have also re-issued our business associate agreements based vendors supporting our employer sponsored health care plan and our HIPAA privacy notice to all employees – all due to be in place prior to 9/23/2013.
I thoroughly enjoy your blog – keep up the good fight!
Bill Hargrove, SPHR
Director of Human Resources
Catholic Charities
Sharlyn Lauby says
Thanks for the comments. True, there are no monetary penalties. But that doesn’t mean there aren’t consequences.