On July 2, 2013, the Obama Administration announced a one-year delay in the effective date of the mandate requiring employers with 50 or more full-time employees (or the equivalent thereof) either to provide such employees with heath care coverage meeting certain minimum requirements or to pay a penalty. Employer compliance with this “play or pay” mandate has been pushed back until January 1, 2015.
Over the next year, the Administration plans to simplify the new reporting requirements imposed upon employers and insurers in response to their collective concerns regarding the complexity of the requirements and the need for more time for proper implementation.
Although the effective date of the “play or pay” mandate has been delayed, the effective dates tied to other Heath Care Reform requirements, such as the deadline for distributing to employees a summary of benefits and coverage and for the individual mandate, have not changed.
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