Permanent regulations issued by California Insurance Commissioner Dave Jones establishing stronger requirements for health insurers to create and maintain adequate medical provider networks were approved by the Office of Administrative Law (OAL). These regulations go into effect immediately because they address a number of critical problems consumers have faced with insurers when seeking timely access to care.
Who is exempt from the IRS health insurance penalty?
For any month during the year that you or any of your family members don’t have minimum essential coverage and don’t qualify for a coverage exemption, you are required to make an individual shared responsibility payment when you file your tax return.
How to determine if you can claim the Premium Tax Credit for health insurance
The premium tax credit is a credit for certain people who enroll, or whose family member enrolls, in a qualified health plan offered through a Marketplace. Claiming the premium tax credit may increase your refund or lower the amount of tax that you would otherwise owe.
1095-B and 1095-C Forms may arrive late
The IRS has extended the due dates for the health insurance coverage forms 1095-B and 1095-C to be sent out as late as March 31, 2016. The original issue date had been January 31, 2016. As a result, some tax filers may not have either the 1095-B or 1095-C when they file their federal taxes. However, neither a copy the 1095-B or -C need to be supplied with the tax return according to the IRS.
IRS health insurance exemptions to avoid penalties
The Affordable Care Act requires you and your dependents to have health care coverage, an exemption from the coverage requirement, or make a shared responsibility payment for any month without coverage or an exemption with your return. This law will affect your federal income tax return when you file this year.
Employees to receive 1095-C for employer health insurance coverage
Employers with 50 or more full-time employees, including full-time equivalent employees, in the previous year use Form 1095-C, Employer-Provided Health Insurance Offer and Coverage, to report the information required about offers of health coverage and enrollment in health coverage for their employees. Form 1095-C is used to report information about each employee.
Legislation to stop surprise medical bills from out of network providers
Have you been hit with a surprise medical bill? Did you follow your insurance company’s rules by picking a hospital, lab, or outpatient facility that is in your plan’s network to keep costs low? But then did you end up getting a huge surprise medical bill from specialists, labs, or others who are not in your plan’s network—providers you didn’t choose, may have never met, and had no control over?
Guide for Electronically Filing Affordable Care Act Information Returns for Software Developers and Transmitters
Health coverage providers and applicable large employers – and those assisting them in preparation for electronically filing the 2015 health care information returns – need to understand the IRS ACA Information Return electronic filing process. Publication 5165, Guide for Electronically Filing Affordable Care Act Information Returns for Software Developers and Transmitters, outlines the communication procedures, transmission formats, business rules and validation procedures for returns transmitted electronically through the AIR system. To develop software for use with the AIR system, software developers, transmitters, and issuers should use the guidelines provided in this publication along with the XML schemas published on IRS.gov.
Oscar California 2016 health plan documents
Oscar has posted plan specific documents relating to their California individual and family on and off exchange plans. These documents will help educate consumers about the Oscar health plans. In particular, consumers should carefully review and understand Oscar’s Simple and Simple Plus series of non-standard, off-exchange health plans quite different from the standard benefit design. Oscar will be offering plans in Region 16, Southwest Los Angeles County, and Region 18, Orange County.
African-American community to get special attention from Covered California
Covered California officials kicked off a new marketing and outreach campaign to increase African-American enrollments in the state’s health coverage program. The campaign focuses on informing African-Americans about the affordability of quality health insurance, and the exchange will place particular emphasis on specific geographic areas across the state where higher numbers of uninsured and subsidy-eligible African-Americans live, work, play and pray.