Notify Your Employees About the State Health Insurance Marketplace

ACA employer requirement deadline, Oct. 1, 2013

The federal Affordable Care Act (Obamacare) requires employers to notify employees about the new government-run health insurance marketplaces (exchanges) by Oct. 1, 2013.

Employers must provide the notice to all full- and part-time employees by Oct. 1 regardless of whether employees are enrolled in an employer-sponsored medical plan. Employers must provide this notice even if they do not offer health insurance coverage. The notice does not have to be provided to dependents.

In addition, the notice must be provided in writing in a manner that will ensure all employees receive a copy. This applies to all businesses regardless of size and all employees regardless of participation in their employer’s health plan. It can be delivered by hand, payroll insert, first-class mail, or electronically if the ERISA standards for electronic delivery are met as explained in a technical release issued by the U.S. Department of Labor (DOL).

Also starting Oct. 1, 2013, new employees must receive the notice at the time of their hire. For 2014, the DOL will consider a notice to be timely if it is provided within 14 days of the employee’s start date.

Download a Model Notice

The DOL has provided a three-page model notice that employers may use. CBIA has confirmed with the DOL that simply providing your employees the first page of the model notice will satisfy your obligation.