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The Affordable Care Act (ACA) includes provisions to encourage appropriately designed, consumer-protective wellness programs in group health coverage.
Effective for plan years beginning on or after Jan. 1, 2014, ACA essentially codifies the existing HIPAA nondiscrimination requirements for health-contingent wellness programs, while also increasing the maximum reward that can be offered under these programs.
The Obama Administration has postponed the Affordable Care Act (ACA) large employer mandate penalties for one year, until 2015. The Department of the Treasury announced the delay on July 2, 2013, along with a similar delay for information reporting by large employers, health insurance issuers and self-funded plan sponsors.
The delay does not affect any other provision of the ACA, including individuals’ access to premium tax credits for coverage through an Exchange.
One-Year Implementation Delay
On June 26, 2013, the U.S. Supreme Court announced its decision regarding the constitutionality of the federal Defense of Marriage Act of 1996 (DOMA). The Court struck down Section 3 of DOMA, which limited marriage to opposite sex unions for purposes of federal law.