On December 20, 2019, the President signed the Further Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2020 to keep the federal government running through September 2020. The Act also affects several fees and taxes under the ACA. A co-branded version of the new Advisors was sent today to all Partners. Several related Advisors have also been updated.

As a result of the spending bill, the Patient-Centered Outcomes Research Institute (PCORI) Fee has been extended to 2029. The "Cadillac tax" on high-cost health insurance, the health Insurance Provider (HIP) Fee, and the medical device excise tax have been repealed. The ACA Advisor Spending Bill Extends PCORI Fee and Repeals Cadillac Tax, HIP Fee and Medical Device Excise Tax summarizes the changes.

To reflect the changes in these ACA fees and taxes, the Compliance team has updated these ACA Advisors: PCORI, TRF, and HIP Fee Highlights; FAQ about the PCORI Fee; and Highlights of the PCORI Fee.

Also updated due to a federal appellate court ruling that the ACA’s individual mandate is unconstitutional, the ACA Advisor titled Status of Court Case Challenging ACA Constitutionality. The appellate court is sending the case back to the district court to determine whether the individual mandate can be severed from the rest of the ACA (to avoid declaring the entire ACA unconstitutional) and what the relief should be for the plaintiffs.

Also available are two previously-published Advisors: Section 105(h) Nondiscrimination Testing and What Group Health Plan Sponsors Need to Know about ERISA. There are no new regulations or changes in the law. The Advisors are frequently requested by Partners, so have been refreshed with the new brand and reviewed.

Log in to AdEase from the Wisdom Network to download these Advisors.

Questions? Contact Karen Hsu at khsu@ubabenefits.com or Matt Meidell at mmeidell@ubabenefits.com with compliance questions.

If you need help with AdEase, contact Meg Cipar at support@ubabenefits.com