The IRS and the Treasury Department issued a notice on the so-called “Cadillac Tax”—a 40 percent excise tax to be imposed on high-cost employer-sponsored health plans beginning in 2018 under the Affordable Care Act (ACA).
Notice 2015-16, released on Feb. 23, 2015, discusses a number of issues concerning the tax and requests comments on the possible approaches that ultimately could be incorporated in proposed regulations. Specifically, the guidance states that the agencies anticipate that pretax salary reduction contributions made by employees to health savings accounts (HSAs) will be subject to the Cadillac tax.
Background
In 2018, the ACA provides that a nondeductible 40 percent excise tax be imposed on “applicable employer-sponsored coverage” in excess of statutory thresholds (in 2018, $10,200 for self-only, $27,500 for family). As 2018 approaches, the benefit community has long awaited guidance on this tax. While many employers have actively managed their plan offerings and costs in anticipation of the impact of the tax, those efforts have been hampered by the lack of guidance. Among other things, employers are uncertain what health coverage is subject to the tax and how the tax is calculated.
Particularly, Notice 2015-16 addresses:
The agencies are requesting comments on issues
discussed in this notice by May 15, 2015. They intend to issue another notice
that will address other areas of the excise tax and anticipates issuing
proposed regulations after considering public comments on both notices.
Applicable Coverage
Of most immediate interest to plan sponsors is the specific type of coverage (i.e., “applicable coverage”) that will be subject to the excise tax, particularly where the statute is unclear.
Employee Pretax HSA
Contributions
The ACA statute provides that employer contributions to an HSA are subject to
the excise tax, but did not specifically address the treatment of employee
pretax HSA contributions. The notice says that the agencies “anticipate that
future proposed regulations will provide that (1) employer contributions to
HSAs, including salary reduction contributions to HSAs, are included in
applicable coverage, and (2) employee after-tax contributions to HSAs are
excluded from applicable coverage.”
Note: This anticipated treatment of employee pretax contributions to HSAs will have a significant impact on HSA programs. If implemented as the agencies anticipate, it could mean many employer plans that provide for HSA contributions will be subject to the excise tax as early as 2018, unless the employer limits the amount an employee can contribute on a pretax basis.
Self-Insured Dental
and Vision Plans
The ACA statutory language specifically excludes fully insured dental and
vision plans from the excise tax. The treatment of self-insured dental and
vision plans was not clear. The notice states that the agencies will consider
exercising their “regulatory authority” to exclude self-insured plans that
qualify as excepted benefits from the excise tax.
Employee Assistance
Programs
The agencies are also considering whether to exclude excepted-benefit employee
assistance programs (EAPs) from the excise tax.
Onsite Medical Clinics
The notice discusses the exclusion of certain onsite medical clinics that offer
only de
minimis care to employees,
citing a provision in the COBRA regulations, and anticipates excluding such
clinics from applicable coverage. Under the COBRA regulations an onsite clinic
is not considered a group health plan if:
The agencies are also asking for comment on
the treatment of clinics that provide certain services in addition to first
aid:
In Closing
With the release of this initial guidance, plan sponsors can gain some insight into the direction the government is likely to take in proposed regulations and can better address potential plan design strategie