With the passing of
the 2012 federal elections we now have a clearer picture of what will
likely happen over the next year with the Affordable Care Act. Barring
any last minute surprises from the Supreme Court (see article on this topic dated 11/26/2012)
we should expect that the most significant provision of the Affordable
Care Act, the health insurance mandate, will be implemented on schedule
by 2014. The individual and employer mandates in the Affordable Care Act
are fairly complicated.
The
initial questions most employers have are, how will the employer
mandate of Affordable Care Act affect me as well as will I owe a
tax/penalty in 2014? To determine if you will need to offer coverage or
likely owe a tax, three scenarios have been laid out. Start by counting
all of your employees, including part time employees, and review the
three categories. 