I wrote the January 2013 edition of Take 5: Views You Can Use, a newsletter published by the Labor and Employment practice of Epstein Becker Green.
In it, I summarize five actions that employers should consider taking in 2013 as the DOL steps up its audit efforts under the leadership of the reenergized Obama administration,
- Assess the Workforce
- Choose Whether to “Pay” or to “Play”
- Evaluate Existing Wellness Programs and/or Implement New Wellness Programs to Enhance Employees’ Health Profiles and to Avoid or Minimize the “Cadillac Tax”
- Understand and Be Ready to Comply with New Tax-Related Changes and Requirements
- Conduct Self-Audits to Ensure Compliance
The following is an excerpt:
With the U.S. presidential election behind us, it is clear that the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (“Affordable Care Act”) is likely here to stay, having survived a U.S. Supreme Court case challenge last June. While affected employers can avoid facing penalties until 2014 for not making health care coverage available to their workforce, the U.S. Department of Labor (“DOL”) has begun auditing employers’ group health plans for compliance with other requirements of the law that are already in effect. As the DOL steps up its audit efforts under the leadership of the reenergized Obama administration, below are five actions that employers should consider taking in 2013.