Health Care Reform – What’s Next?

Efforts by U.S. House Republicans to repeal portions of the Affordable Care Act (ACA) recently experienced a major setback with the withdrawal of the American Health Care Act (AHCA) before a full vote. These events signaled a pause in the repeal and replace effort, but debate about the future of the ACA is likely far from over.  Now there are significant questions about what type of action, if any, Congress or the Administration will take to continue efforts to dismantle, replace or reform the ACA. Read our March 30 update for insights about what may be next for health care reform.

Your ACA Roadmap will help you stay on top of ACA responsibilities

ACA remains the law of the land. As such, employers, insurers, individuals and other stakeholders should continue to comply with ACA rules unless, and until, formal guidance relieves some or all of their responsibilities. This means that employers must continue keeping track of a number of annual and ongoing compliance deadlines. Our ACA compliance timeline tool, Your ACA Roadmap, can help employers stay organized and meet required due dates. Accessed at www.YourACARoadmap.com, the tool offers a personalized snapshot of annual responsibilities and applicable deadlines as an employer under the ACA.

Reminder: CERF is due in July

The Comparative Effectiveness Research Fee (CERF), also known as the Patient-Centered Outcomes Research Institute (PCORI) Fee, is one of several fees included in the ACA. Funds collected from this fee are used to conduct research to determine the effectiveness of alternative treatments. CERF applies to both insured and self-funded medical plans. CERF is paid using IRS form 720 by July 31 each year for the plan year that ended in the preceding calendar year. The following chart outlines the applicable plans that need to pay in 2017 and the amount based on their ERISA plan year start dates.

See our CERF Toolkit for the most up-to-date information and “how-to’s”, including:

• Links to IRS Form 720 and payment instructions
• Details about specific types of plans such as California Maximum Premium and Texas and Alabama AEB plans
• Sample membership reports, log-in information and report generation instructions
• Access to Cigna's ASO PPACA Fees & Reporting Resources team. This dedicated team is available to help employers and broker partners with self-funded plans understand their payment responsibilities and answer questions. They can be reached at 855-275-0555 9:00 a.m. – 7:00 p.m. ET, Monday through Friday or via email at ASO_PPACA_Fees&Reporting@Cigna.com.
• CERF Fact Sheet
• Detailed CERF Payment and Due Date Grid

Staying Informed

Cigna will communicate via updates, news alerts and web meetings as the state of U.S. health care reform continues to evolve. Explore our Reform360 tab on the toolbar above for key updates and communication resources and also be sure to bookmark Cigna's award-winning reform website at www.InformedonReform.com.