ACA impact on local business focus of talk

The impact of the Affordable Care Act, also known as Obamacare, will be the subject of a workshop designed for employers on Tuesday, April 21 at the Hyatt Place in Reno. Sponsored by the Nevada Business Group on Health, the keynote speaker will be Chris Goff, who represents a national employer coalition representing three million lives.

“The Affordable Care Act (ACA) is still a moving target”, said Terri Lightfoot, executive director for Nevada Business Group on Health. “Employers are struggling to understand the variable hour employee regulations, the rules regarding subsidies, the Cadillac Tax, and the double whammy of the employee wellness program activities recognized under the ACA that are being challenged by the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) in a series of lawsuits.”

The purpose of the Affordable Care Act is to first, reform existing insurance law to mandate standards such as essential health benefits.

The second purpose is to expand coverage, primarily through the expansion of Medicaid, by providing premium subsidies for low- and middle-income Americans to purchase health insurance under an individual mandate.

According to Randy Gabler, director of compliance for Benefit Resource Group, “Employers have a number of obligations related to the Affordable Care Act. This law is complicated, and each employer has to base their decisions on their own unique situation. It is critical for employers of all sizes to ensure that they have the proper administrative systems in place.

“They also must be continually evaluating and creating strategies responding to the impact of the ACA on their organizations.”

“As the voice for Nevada employers, it is incumbent upon Nevada Business Group on Health to provide expert resources,” said Lightfoot.

“Employers know that the clock is ticking,” added Chris Goff, CEO and general counsel of Employers Health, a national employer coalition with more than 300 members representing three million lives. The title of his interactive workshop is “The ACA: What Employers Must Know About Reporting, Taxes and Benefit Design.”

Goff will address many of the most complex aspects of the ACA including the new notice and disclosure requirements, determining benefits eligibility, the penalties for not providing affordable care and the ACA’s impact on plan design and cost management.

“I want employers to leave the workshop knowing how to proceed and with an understanding of the overall cost impact, including the multitude of associated penalties and taxes”, said Goff.

The workshop is scheduled from 9 a.m. to 12 noon.

For more information, contact Nevada Business Group on Health at 329-8007 or by email at tlightfoot@nvbgh.org.