A 2013 employee benefits study found that 75% of employees think their employer will educate them about changes to their health care coverage as a result of healthcare reform.
These ACA topics include employer compliance provisions that involve employee communications:
- Exchange Notice Requirement – Employers, regardless of whether they offer a health plan, are required to inform employees about ACAs Exchanges.
- Grandfathered Plans – Employers that provide grandfathered plans must make sure their health plan provides disclosure of its grandfathered status to their employees, & that this disclosure complies with ACA regulations.
- Employee Reporting Requirements – Employers that provide minimum essential coverage must provide employees with statements about that coverage, & large employers must provide full-time employees with statements containing information about offered coverage.
- W-2 Reporting Requirements – Employers required to file 250+ W-2s must provide information to employees about how much their coverage costs. Employers that file less than 250 W-2s will be required to do the same in the future.
- Summary of Benefits & Coverage (SBC) – Employers that provide coverage must follow new ACA regulations for provision of the SBC, a tool that communicates costs related to understanding & comparing health plans.
Employers also face employees’ questions about coverage under ACA, ranging from general concerns about how health care reform affects coverage & costs, to specific questions about preventive care under ACA, the new patient protections, the individual mandate, & how Exchanges work. Being prepared & proactive with ACA information, possibly at scheduled employee meetings, is preferable to responding to repetitive questions from individual employees. Not delivering on employee expectations of employer communication about the ACA could result in problems with employee satisfaction, morale, & engagement.
HCIs Obamacare Compliance KIT & ready-to-use Education-to-Documentation KITs help employers to implement an ACA education strategy that provides accurate, complete, relevant information for employees