Affordable Care Act

Headnote

Five Years Have Gone By So Quickly

the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (ACA) was passed more than five years ago. Never has a piece of federal legislation been in the controversy spotlight for this length of time,

Typically, new federal and state laws require some tweaking before, during or after they are implemented. Fix-it bills can clarify the original intentions of lawmakers, correct mistakes and make the legislation practical to implement. In the ACA's circumstance, because of the high level of animosity surrounding the law's fundamentals, significant fixes are not politically feasible,

Congress addressed about a dozen, below-the-radar fixes that have not been newsworthy-repealing the Free Choice Voucher Program and exemptions for TRICARE health plans, for example.

This has left the majority of the heavy lifting fix-it work with the ACA's three primary regulatory agencies: the 1RS, the Department of Health and Human Services and the Department of Labor. Each of these agencies issued regulations, determinations and fixes. And, on a number of major cross agency topics, have issued joint releases to provide singular direction thr ough ambiguous and conflicting provisions.

More than 30 safe harbors, definitions and delays by administrative...