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
Punitive Damages: Are You Kidding Me?
Punitive damages, while somewhat controversial, have been a well-established part of civil law in the United States since the mid-1800s. Punitive damages are best defined as monetary compensation awarded to an injured party that goes beyond those damages which are...
Do an Employee’s Privacy Rights Extend to Company-Owned Communication Devices? The Answer May Surprise You.
The question is simple: does an employer have a right to monitor and store an employee's personal communications on a company-owned communication devise (i.e., PDA, laptop, cellphone, etc.)? Recent federal decisions suggest the answer is "yes" so long as (1) the...
Working 9 to 5, Are We Saying Goodbye?
Tumble outta bed And I stumble to the kitchen Pour myself a cup of ambition And yawn and stretch And try to come to life — Dolly Parton, "9 to 5" Long before the 24/7 label came to life, country star Dolly Parton lamented about the legendary beginning to a "typical"...
Luck is the Residue of Design
I heard that quote from a one-man play this past weekend, "The Branch Rickey Story." Mr. Rickey was a baseball executive in the early to mid-20th century. His greatest innovation was the baseball farm system, whereby young talent is recruited and developed for the...
