New Health Care Rules begin in June

By Christopher Behnan • DAILY PRESS & ARGUS • May 16, 2010


Staring June 23, the law creates a health subsidy for retirees between the ages of 55 and 64. The program will subsidize 80 percent of approved claims totaling $15,000 to $90,000.

That program is planned to expire in 2014.

Also this year, employers with less than 25 employees that contribute at least 50 percent of premiums per employee may be eligible for a tax credit.

The credit wouldn't be filed until next year's tax return, but employers should start calculating employee hours required to determine full-time equivalency data, Porta said.

The government will count a 4.98 full-time equivalency as four full-time employees rather than rounding it up to five, for a greater credit.
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In that case, employers can bump up their staff's hours slightly to obtain the higher credit, Porta explained.

"It can make a difference. You want to maximize the tax credit," he said.