President Trump recently signed a spending bill preventing a government shut-down and repealed the following three taxes and fees under the Affordable Care Act (ACA):
• Cadillac Tax on high-cost group health coverage, beginning 2020;
• Medical Devices Excise Tax, beginning in 2020; and
• Health Insurance Providers Fee, beginning in 2021
Importantly, the bill also extended the Patient-Centered Outcomes Research Institute (PCORI) fee to years 2020 to 2029.

The IRS recently extended the due date for furnishing Forms 1095-B and 1095-C to individuals from January 31, 2020 to March 2, 2020.

For plan years beginning in 2020, employer-sponsored medical coverage will be considered affordable if the employee’s contribution for self-only coverage on an employer’s lowest cost medical plan (if more than one medical plan is offered) does not exceed 9.78% of the employee’s household income for the year.

Employers should contact their insurers, third-party administrators (TPA) or pharmacy benefit managers (PBM) for information regarding creditable coverage status.

The IRS released Notice 2019-45 to add care for certain chronic conditions to the list of preventive services that can be offered under high deductible health plans (HDHPs) without a deductible.

For plan years beginning in 2020, employer-sponsored medical coverage will be considered affordable if the employee’s contribution for self-only coverage on an employer’s lowest cost medical plan (if more than one medical plan is offered) does not exceed 9.78% of the employee’s household income for the year.

For taxable years beginning in 2019, the IRS dollar limit for employee health Flexible Spending Account (FSA) contributions is increased to $2,700. The health FSA dollar limit is on an employee basis; therefore, each employee may only elect up to $2,700 regardless of any additional family members who may benefit from the use of health FSA funds.

For taxable years beginning in 2019, the IRS dollar limit for employee health Flexible Spending Account (FSA) contributions is increased to $2,700. The health FSA dollar limit is on an employee basis; therefore, each employee may only elect up to $2,700 regardless of any additional family members who may benefit from the use of health FSA funds.