More Health Care Reform Info - Notices

The Department of Labor (DOL) has released 3 model notices as a result of changes under Health Care Reform:

• Exchange Model Notice for Employers Who Offer a Health Plan to Some or All Employees (must be distributed to current employees no later than October 1, 2013)
• Exchange Model Notice for Employers Who Do Not Offer a Health Plan (must be distributed to current employees no later than October 1, 2013)
• Revised Model COBRA Election Notice (provided to eligible employees and dependents when a qualifying event occurs)

New Health Insurance Exchange (Marketplace) Notices

The Exchange Notice provides employees with certain information related to the new Exchanges (also called Marketplaces) which are expected to begin operating next year. Following a delay in the original effective date, employers are required to provide this written notice to each current employee not later than October 1, 2013, and to each new employee at the time of hiring beginning October 1, 2013. For 2014, a notice will be considered provided "at the time of hiring" if it is provided within 14 days of an employee's start date.
Employers must provide the notice to each employee (automatically and free of charge) regardless of plan enrollment status (if applicable) or of part-time or full-time status. Two separate notices are available from the DOL--one model notice for employers who offer a health plan to some or all employees, and another model notice for employers who do not offer a health plan. The notice may be provided by first-class mail, or, alternatively, it may be provided electronically if certain requirements are met. Employers do not need to provide a separate notice to dependents or other individuals who are or may become eligible for coverage under the plan but who are not employees.
Additional details regarding the Exchange Notice are explained in Technical Release 2013-02. According to the DOL, this temporary guidance will remain in effect until the issuance of regulations or other guidance. Future regulations or other guidance will provide adequate time for employers to comply with any additional or modified requirements.

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Health Care Reform updates

'Pay or Play' Requirements Delayed Until 2015
The U.S. Treasury Department has announced that it will delay enforcement of the 'pay or play' requirements for one year. As a result, any penalties (also known as employer shared responsibility payments) will not apply until 2015.
The 'pay or play' provisions require large employers--generally those with at least 50 full-time employees and full-time equivalents--to offer affordable health insurance that provides a minimum level of coverage to full-time employees (and their dependents) or pay a penalty tax if a full-time employee receives a premium tax credit or cost-sharing reduction for purchasing coverage on an Exchange. The requirements were originally to become effective on January 1, 2014.
According to the announcement, transition relief is being provided with respect to certain employer and insurer reporting requirements under the law, which will make it impractical to determine which employers owe shared responsibility payments for 2014. Consequently, the transition relief is being extended to the 'pay or play' penalties and any such penalties will not apply for 2014. Instead, employer shared responsibility payments will not apply until 2015. The agency encourages employers to maintain or expand their health coverage during the 2014 transition period.
Formal agency guidance is expected to be published in the near future describing this transition relief. The delay does not affect employees' access to the premium tax credits available under the law or any other provision of Health Care Reform.

A career change

http://www.boston.com/jobs/news/jobdoc/2013/06/career_change_challenges.html