ACA Affordable Care Act requires every employer that is subject to the FLSA must provide the notice about health care coverage options. Businesses covered by the FLSA must have at least two employees, and are those that have an annual dollar volume of sales or business revenue of at least $500,000 or are hospitals, businesses providing medical or nursing care for residents, schools and preschools or government agencies. If your business is subject to the FLSA, you have to give the notice to employees of coverage options to existing employees by Oct. 1, and to all new hires within 14 days. It does not matter if you have 10 or 35 or 50 or 100 employees. If you are subject to the FLSA, you have to provide the notice.

The Affordable Care Act (ACA) requires all employers provide notice of “exchanges” or “marketplaces” to employees by Oct. 1, 2013, and to any new hires after this date within 14 days of the start date. All emloyees, regardless of full/part-time emloyment status, must receive the notice.

The notice should include the following:
“¢Information on the existence of exchanges, a description of the services provided and how to contact and seek assistance from the exchange;
“¢Notice that employees may be eligible for a premium tax credit or cost sharing reduction through the exchange if the employer’s plan does not meet minimum value;
“¢Notice that employees may lose the employer contribution if they opt-out of group coverage to purchase coverage through the exchange.

Employers can use model notices or any other notice that meets the requirements, and can send them via mail or electronically. Model notices are broken into three parts: explanations, employer information and optional employer information to help employees understand their coverage choices.

Here are the English versions of the two model notices that you can use to comply with this ACA notice requirement:

“¢Model Notice for employers who offer a health plan to some or all employees
“¢Model Notice for employers who do not offer a health plan

Contact Murray at MrHealthInsurance.net if you have questions.