The Affordable Care Act (ACA) established a new non-profit
organization called the Patient-Centered Outcomes Research Institute (PCORI) to:
- Conduct research which would evaluate and compare health outcomes; and,
- Conduct research into the clinical effectiveness, risks and benefits of medical treatments
The PCORI will be paid for via a trust funded by the payment
of fees by insurers, employers, and other funding from the federal
government.
The IRS just recently released their proposed regulations for
comment and to address questions raised by employers and others about the fees
imposed.
The ACA-mandated fee is $1 per plan participant (based on
average number of covered employees and dependents) for the first
plan year ending after September 30, 2012, and $2 per plan
participant in succeeding years. For plan years starting after September
30, 2014, the fee is to be indexed to reflect the percentage increase in
national medical expenditures (as per the Department of Health and Human Services).
The fees do not apply to plan years ending after September 30, 2019.
Note that these are proposed regulations and may change
before final adoption.
