A health care alert from Washington Council Ernst & Young regarding health care law provisions that impact employers is available for ABC members on ABC’s Employer Health Care Law Toolkit.

The health care alert provides an overview of the following: 

• Recently issued corrections to final regulations related to information reporting (Section 6055) of minimum essential coverage;
• Final regulations on information reporting by Exchanges;
• Updated U.S. Department of Labor (DOL) COBRA model notices; and
• The 90-day limitation on waiting and orientation periods.

In addition to the health care alert, DOL recently issued its nineteenth Frequently Asked Questions (FAQS) about implementing various provisions of the Affordable Care Act. The FAQS include: COBRA model notices; limitations on cost-sharing; coverage of preventive services; Flexible Spending Account carryover and excepted benefits; and summary of benefits and coverage.

Washington Council Ernst & Young leads the Employers for Flexibility in Health Care (E-FLEX) Coalition which ABC is a member of. E-FLEX is a coalition of leading trade associations and businesses in retail, restaurant, hospitality, supermarket, construction, temporary staffing and other service-related industries, as well as employer-sponsored health plans insuring millions of American workers.  Through comment letters and meetings, members of the coalition have been working with administration officials to help ensure that employer-sponsored coverage—the backbone of the U.S. health care system—remains a competitive option for all full-time, part-time, temporary and seasonal employees.