Indy Standard

Senators Todd Young, Mark R. Warner, John Thune, and Catherine Cortez Masto have expressed approval following the passage of two bills aimed at reducing health care reporting requirements for employers. These legislative measures are designed to protect privacy and streamline administrative processes by allowing certain communications to be filed electronically.

"Under current law, overreaching compliance requirements create uncertainty and stress for employers in Indiana and across the nation. Our bipartisan bills will help reduce these unnecessary burdens and increase efficiency," stated Senator Young.

Senator Warner highlighted improvements since the Affordable Care Act's implementation: "Health care for Americans has only gotten better and more accessible since the passage of the Affordable Care Act — just ask anyone who faced lifetime limits or was denied insurance because of a pre-existing condition. These two pieces of legislation will make needed adjustments to modernize and streamline ACA reporting requirements to ensure that they don’t needlessly compromise the privacy of Americans or get in the way of their access to health care."

Senator Thune noted challenges faced by small businesses: "Small businesses in South Dakota and across the country have been forced to comply with overly burdensome administrative requirements from the Affordable Care Act. These bills would eliminate convoluted paperwork and streamline the current reporting requirements."

"Employers shouldn’t have to jump through unnecessary hoops to provide health care coverage for their employees," said Senator Cortez Masto. She emphasized that these bills offer flexibility while enhancing communication security.

The Employer Reporting Improvement Act aims to ease compliance burdens on employers by allowing electronic filing of certain documents, clarifying IRS acceptance criteria for personal information, extending appeal periods for penalties related to health insurance offerings, and setting a statute of limitations on IRS penalties under specific ACA provisions.

The Paperwork Burden Reduction Act seeks to decrease physical forms required from employers as part of ACA compliance by codifying existing IRS policies on electronic form provision.

Both acts received prior approval from the U.S. House of Representatives earlier this year and now await President Biden's signature.