Once again there is a change in one of the key provisions of
the Affordable Care Act (ACA). The employer mandate requires all large
employers to either provide health insurance to their employees or pay a penalty/tax
of $2000 per employee per year (the first 30 are tax exempt). A large employer is defined as having 50 or
more employees (IRS link to determine a full time employee). Originally the employer mandate was to take place
in 2014 but was delayed until January 1st, 2015. The employer mandate is still scheduled to
take place in 2015 but for penalty/ tax purposes the definition of a large
employer will temporarily be changed to 100 or more employees until 2016. Stay tuned as there have been several changes
as we move closer into full implementation of the ACA.