The Manufacturing Law Blog provides timely commentary on issues of importance to manufacturers and distributors. Contributors from the law firm of Robinson & Cole LLP are corporate compliance and litigation attorney, Jeff White; environmental, health and safety attorney, Pam Elkow; and labor and employment attorney, Nicole Bernabo.
As a result of the overwhelming feedback from stakeholders, the Obama administration will delay enforcement of the reporting requirements and penalties until 2015 for employers who do not provide health insurance coverage to workers under the Affordable Care Act (ACA).
Mark Mazur, the Assistant Secretary for Tax Policy at the U.S. Department of the Treasury, released the following statement yesterday:
The Administration is announcing that it will provide an additional year before the ACA mandatory employer and insurer reporting requirements begin. This is designed to meet two goals. First, it will allow us to consider ways to simplify the new reporting requirements consistent with the law. Second, it will provide time to adapt health coverage and reporting systems while employers are moving toward making health coverage affordable and accessible for their employees. Within the next week, we will publish formal guidance describing this transition. Just like the Administration’s effort to turn the initial 21-page application for health insurance into a three-page application, we are working hard to adapt and to be flexible about reporting requirements as we implement the law.
You may read the official press release here. The Administration is nevertheless encouraging employers to voluntarily begin implementing the requirements of the ACA.
Enjoy the Fourth of July holiday. We will continue with our U.S. Supreme Court roundup of decisions next week.