Employer Health Insurance Requirements For 2019

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Employer Health Insurance Requirements For 2019
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• The Affordable Care Act, or ACA, continues to be
  scaled back as we progress into 2019, raising
  many questions about changes to the law. Read on
  to find out what you need to know as an employer,
  to comply with the ACA in 2019
• Are you legally required to offer your employees
  health benefits?
• If youre an applicable large employer
  (Otherwise known as ALE), then youll still be
  legally required to provide a certain percentage
  of your full-time equivalent employees, or FTEs,
  with minimum essential coverage, (otherwise known
  as MEC).

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• ALEs are defined in 2019 as businesses that
  employed a combination of 50 or more full-time
  equivalent staff members throughout six months or
  more of 2018.
• Must you pay a certain percentage of your
  employees health insurance premiums?
• In 2019, if you own a small business with less
  than 50 full-time equivalent employees, then
  youre not legally required to pay a certain
  percentage of their group health insurance
  premiums. That said, if you wish to qualify for
  the Small Business Health Care Tax Credit, then
  as an employer, you must pay at least 50 of the
  annual premiums for employees group health
  coverage.

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• With the QSEHRA or integrated HRA, as a small
  business youll face no minimum contribution
  requirements.
• What about waiting periods?
• If youre a small business owner offering a group
  health insurance policy, QSEHRA or group coverage
  HRA, then you can institute a waiting period for
  benefit eligibility in 2019, but these cannot go
  over a 90 days period.

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• What employee disclosure rules will be applicable
  in 2019?
• If as a small business, you offer your employees
  a group health policy, QSEHRA or integrated HRA,
  then you must also provide your workers with a
  standard Summary of Benefits and Coverage, or SBC
  form. These forms give further details of what is
  covered by their health benefits, and any
  associated costs. If you offer your employees a
  QSEHRA, then you are also required to send a
  QSEHRA notice to them annually, giving them
  access to information about their benefit total
  for the year, instructions as to what they must
  do if theyre applying for a premium tax credit,
  and details of tax penalties they may face if
  they fail to maintain MEC during the year.

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• What will be your small business reporting
  requirements in 2019?
• The ACA mandates that you must withhold and
  report an extra 0.9 on employee wages or
  compensation that exceeds 200,000.
• If you offer your workforce group health
  insurance, then you must report the value of the
  insurance coverage youve given to them all on
  their Form W-2, box 12 using code DD.

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• If you offer your employees a QSEHRA, then you
  are legally obliged to report the total tax-free
  payments and reimbursements given to each worker
  on their W-2, box 12 using code FF. You are also
  required to report all taxable reimbursements
  made through the QSEHRA as other compensation in
  box 1, Wages, Tips and Other Compensation.
• For more detailed advice and guidance on your
  health insurance requirements as a small business
  owner in 2019, reach out to your local
  professional payroll specialist.

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• Apollo Payroll is one of the premier small
  business payroll companies in Miami Beach and
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  delivering expert advice, responsive service, and
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  to ensure the success and growth of the business
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