Affordable Care Act
The Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act, also known as the Affordable Care Act (ACA), or colloquially as “Obamacare,” was signed into law in March of 2010 with the goal of increasing the quality and affordability of health insurance for millions of Americans.
While the Act’s employer shared responsibility payments will not apply until 2015, and in some cases, not until 2016, there are provisions and safe harbors to consider and decisions that can be made now that may help businesses, employees and a business’s bottom line. Further, there are many unintended consequences arising out of the ACA that business owners, both large and small, need to consider when administering health care arrangements.
We are carefully following the developments associated with the roll-out of ACA and are providing counsel to business owners and other professionals, helping them to address compliance issues, evaluate exposure to penalties and other tax issues as well as planning strategically for the future.
Affordable Care Act Articles
Wiping the Slate Clean Results in Liability for a Former Employee
While the idiom "wipe the slate clean" is popular at the beginning of a new year, it constituted a legal breach of employment agreements when the former employee installed Eraser 6, a data-wiping software, on his computer. In this federal court case, there was a...
It’s 5:00 a.m. and Snowing; Do You Have to Pay Your Employees Even if You Keep Your Business Closed?
***We originally published this article in February 2012. Almost a year later, the Midwest is in the middle of another major winter storm, with more snow likely to come before spring arrives. Accordingly, this is a perfect opportunity to republish this time...
Judge Demonstrates How to Dance the ESI Three-Step
The Missouri federal court based in St. Louis has adopted a three-step procedure to conduct discovery involving ESI ("Electronically Stored Information") especially in litigation involving trade secrets. Generally, courts have been cautious in requiring the mirror...
Purchase a Car Online from an Out-of-State Dealer? You May Not be Able to Bring Suit in Missouri
As is common in today's Internet-driven society, the plaintiff purchased a car from a Texas car dealership through the eBay website. He reviewed the vehicle information on eBay from his computer in Missouri, and he submitted his "buy it now" bid from Missouri as well....
