Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
For First Time, IRS Will Crack Down On Employers Not Offering Insurance To Workers
The New York Times: I.R.S. Starts To Enforce Health Law’s Rule That Employers Offer Insurance
As Republicans and the Trump administration continue trying to chip away at the Affordable Care Act, the Internal Revenue Service has begun, for the first time, to enforce one of the law’s most polarizing provisions: the employer mandate. Thousands of businesses — many of them small or midsize — will soon receive a letter saying that they owe the government money because they failed to offer their workers qualifying health insurance. (Cowley, 11/16)
In other news on employers and health care —
The New York Times: Tech Companies Get High Marks For Covering Infertility Treatments
A relatively small number of companies offer generous benefits for infertility treatment to employees, while most have minimal or no coverage, a new report found. It’s a case of “haves and have-nots,” said Jake Anderson, a founder of FertilityIQ, the start-up that wrote the report. (Carrns, 11/15)
Kaiser Health News: For Millions of Insured Americans, State Health Laws Don’t Apply
Let’s say you have health insurance through your employer and live in one of 21 states with laws protecting consumers against surprise medical bills from out-of-network providers. Should one of those unwanted bills land in your mailbox, you can turn to your state law and regulators for help, right? Not necessarily. (Bazar, 11/16)
