SHOP | Texas Associates Blog

Dec 16 2013

Small Business Health Care Tax Credit Applications Due by 12/23/13

On Nov. 27, 2013, HHS delayed online enrollment for FF-SHOPs until November 2014. This means that small employers can enroll directly in SHOP coverage through agents, brokers or insurers. If you plan to claim the Small Business Health Care Tax Credit, you’ll need to get an official eligibility determination from the SHOP Marketplace, which means submitting a SHOP application. If you’re eligible, you’ll claim the tax credit when you submit your federal income tax returns for 2014. For SHOP coverage to begin on Jan. 1, 2014, HHS intends to extend the enrollment deadline to Dec. 23, 2013.

Here’s how to figure out if the company will qualify for a small business health care tax credit:

To get started, you’ll need to complete a small business SHOP application and read the Frequently Asked Questions about SHOP.

To be eligible, you must:

• Cover at least 50 percent of the cost of single (not family) health care coverage for each of your employees.

• You must also have fewer than 25 full-time equivalent employees (FTEs). You are probably wondering: what IS an FTE. Basically, two half-time workers (less than 30 hr/ wk) count as one FTE. That means 20 half-time employees are equivalent to 10 FTEs, which makes the number of FTEs 10, not 20.

• Those employees must have average wages of less than $50,000 (as adjusted for inflation beginning in 2014) per year.

**Remember, you will have to purchase insurance through the SHOP Marketplace to be eligible for the credit for tax years 2014 and beyond.

How do you claim the credit?

You must use Form 8941, Credit for Small Employer Health Insurance Premiums, to calculate the credit. For detailed information on filling out this form, see the Instructions for Form 8941.

Your tax adviser / Certified Public Accountant (CPA) should be able to assist you with the preparation when the company is submitting the federal tax returns.

If you are a small business, include the amount as part of the general business credit on your income tax return.

Also, the amount of the credit you receive works on a sliding scale. The smaller the business or charity, the bigger the credit. So if you have more than 10 FTEs or if the average wage is more than $25,000 (as adjusted for inflation beginning in 2014), the amount of the credit you receive will be less.

You will need an agent or broker to help you with your application to the SHOP. Please let us know how we can assist you.

Dana Rostro is the Director of Employee Benefits Sales and Operations at Texas Associates Insurors. Dana is ACA certified and has helped clients develop the best strategies for their operations within the new healthcare legislation.

Tagged Affordable Care Act, Austin, Bay City, Benefits Package, business growth, Business Insurance, Business Management, Dana Rostro, Edna, El Campo, Employee Benefits, Form 8941, Ganado, Group Benefits, Healthcare Reform, Houston, Insurance, Louise, Newfirst, NewFirst Insurors, Obamacare, Palacios, Port Lavaca, Rosenberg, SHOP, small business, small business health care tax credit, small employer, Texas Associates, Victoria

Oct 16 2013

5 Ways the Affordable Care Act Affects Small Businesses

Small Businesses have been cited by the White House as the ‘backbone’ of the United States Economy. That backbone of 28 million small employers saw dramatic changes October 1, when the Health Insurance Exchanges opened, giving way to a new era of Health Care in the United States. So how exactly will the Affordable Care Act, which takes full effect on January 1, 2014 affect the ‘backbone’ of the US Economy? Here are 5 ways America’s small businesses will be affected by ‘Obamacare.’

Health Insurance

First and foremost, the Affordable Care Act provides for every single US citizen to purchase Health Insurance of some form or another come January 1, or else face hefty fines. This is the first step in what is expected to be a long, long road to nationwide coverage, along which businesses, big and small, will have a major role to play.

Come January, big businesses (50 employees or more) will be legally obliged to provide health insurance or pay a tax of $2,000 per employee (for all but the first 30 employees) starting January 2015. Smaller businesses (less than 50 employees) will also have to provide health insurance but will not be subject to fines, provided their employees get tax credits through an exchange. For small businesses with less than 25 employees, a tax credit of 35% will be made available to contribute towards health insurance provision.

Workplace Wellness

The Affordable Care Act will also create new incentives promoting workplace wellness programs, encouraging employers to take greater interest and more opportunities to support the health and well-being of employees. Funding will be provided as part of this preventative measure which has already been embraced by many businesses nationwide.

A study titled ‘Employee Benefits: Today and Beyond’ which surveyed US businesses found that: “almost half of employers (44%) are already increasing the use of wellness programs to improve the health of employees. Among these companies that have already implemented this approach, 33% have been very successful in achieving their desired cost savings.”

The Affordable Care Act will allow Businesses with workplace wellness programs, effective after 1, 2014, an tax credit increase of up to 20%, and a further 10% of the cost of health coverage if programs are designed to prevent or reduce tobacco use.

New Tax Credits

As mentioned above, one of the key factors in the implementation of the Affordable Care Act is the introduction of new tax credits, designed to help make Health Insurance readily accessible to US citizens. This includes tax credits for Businesses, aimed at helping employers provide coverage for employees.

The small business tax credit, for example aims to help businesses with less than 50 employees afford the cost of healthcare coverage. The Affordable Care Act aims to raise this tax credit to 35% for by 2015 for businesses that purchase coverage through the SHOP marketplace which opens October,1.

SHOP Marketplaces

Those SHOP (Small Business Health Insurance Options Program) Marketplaces will offer Small Businesses a portal through which to shop for health coverage on a competitive marketplace. These marketplaces include web portals that provide standardized, easy-to-understand information, making comparing and purchasing coverage easier for businesses.

The new SHOP Marketplaces will also allow small groups to pool risks and reduce administrative complexity and subsequently increase their purchasing power while reducing costs.

Employer’s Mandate

All that said and done, the Employer’s Mandate has now been pushed back to 2015, so Businesses will not feel the full effects of the Affordable Care Act for at least another 18 months. Instead, the initial Health Care Reform procedure will be regarded as ‘real-world testing’ ahead of full implementation in 2015. This has caused an increased level of doubt among critics and supporters of how Health Care Reform will take full shape, if at all. Businesses are now in a state of concern thanks to mixed messages. While employers may have initially felt relieved that they would have more time to fully prepare for the introduction of the new legislation, President Obama has hinted that fines could swell for Companies that view the Employer Mandate delay as a let-off.

To conclude, this shroud of uncertainty should prompt employers to consult their Insurance Agents about the Affordable Care Act, its provisions and what it means for their business. The facts are there, it is now up to Businesses to assess the situation and consider what the best Insurance option for them instead of treating the Employer’s Mandate delay as a let-off.

If you are unsure of how the Affordable Care Act will affect your Business, or if you’re unsure of what to look for in the SHOP exchanges, speak to an expert directly for free.

Tagged Affordable Care Act, Austin, Bay City, Benefits Package, business growth, Business Management, Dana Rostro, Edna, El Campo, Employee Benefits, Employer Mandate, Ganado, Group Benefits, Healthcare Reform, Houston, Insurance, Louise, Newfirst, NewFirst Insurors, Obamacare, Palacios, Port Lavaca, Rosenberg, SHOP, small business, tax credit, Texas Associates, Victoria, Wellness

Oct 02 2013

Filling Your Employees in on Health Insurance Exchanges

Not only does the Affordable Care Act legislate for every US citizen to purchase Health Insurance of some form or another, it also obliges large and small businesses to provide their employees with Health Insurance. October 1 marks the opening of the Small Business Health Options Program (SHOP) marketplace, which will give employers with 50 or fewer full-time-equivalent employees a program through which to purchase Health Insurance coverage.

Effective of October 1, employers are required to provide a notice to employees about the exchange including whether or not they may have access to subsidies if their employer does not offer affordable health care. With the countdown to Health Care Reform now fully underway, employers need to know how to inform their employees about the exchange and how it will affect them.

Focus on the exchange.

The one thing your staff will be most interested in knowing is how they are going to be covered and what they need to do to ensure they are covered. By first explaining that the exchanges are marketplaces where individuals and small employers can buy health insurance, you can give employees a comprehensive insight into what policies are available and what government subsidies will be available to them. Once you explain the ins and outs of the health insurance exchange to your employees, you can instruct them on how you will be providing coverage and what that coverage will include.

What else should you communicate?

As the Affordable Care Act is a quite complicated piece of legislation, it is vital that you don’t over-complicate things when explaining its provisions to your staff. Communicating too much information to employees can create unnecessary confusion and should be avoided. Instead, employers should focus on the present. Refrain from focusing on the long-term and hypothetical situations, as the Affordable Care Act may be subject to reform over the next 5 years.

The most important information to communicate to your employees is the fact that the Affordable Care Act will change many rules about health insurance in 2014. As of January 1, Insurance companies must accept everyone who applies for coverage, regardless of their condition of health. In addition, the law also requires that every individual must be covered or else they will be subject to a hefty fine, come January. By outlining the timeframe of the Affordable Care Act coming into effect, you can ensure your employees are aware of deadlines and fully prepared for them.

HOW should you communicate?

By planning for a consistent communication plan, you can cover how the Health Insurance Exchanges will affect employees in the near future, while accounting for long-term developments. In communicating with employees, it’s important to use all available resources to make information as accessible as possible.

The provisions of the Affordable Care Act can be difficult to throw your head around, but it’s crucially important for employers to get up to speed with how it will affect them and their employees come October 1 and beyond. By analysing the legislation and devising a straight-forward communications strategy, you can ensure your Business is ready when the SHOP exchanges open.

Struggling to throw your head around the Affordable Care Act? By contacting us directly, you can avail of FREE expert advice on how to prepare for Health Care Reform.

Tagged Affordable Care Act, Austin, Bay City, Benefits Package, business growth, Business Insurance, Business Management, Dana Rostro, Edna, El Campo, Employee Benefits, Exchange, Exchanges, Ganado, Group Benefits, Healthcare Reform, Houston, Insurance, Louise, Newfirst, NewFirst Insurors, Obamacare, Palacios, Port Lavaca, Risk, Risk Management, Rosenberg, SHOP, Texas, Texas Associates, Victoria

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