On July 2, 2013 the U.S. Treasury Department announced that enforcement of the Affordable Care Act’s (“ACA”) employer penalties will be delayed until 2015. Under ACA businesses with at least 50 full-time employees plus full-time equivalents that do not offer affordable health coverage to at least 95% of their full-time employees and dependents are subject to monetary penalties.

The Treasury Department stated that the one year delay “will allow us to consider ways to simplify the new reporting requirements consistent with the law. Second, it will provide time to adapt health coverage and reporting systems while employers are moving toward making health coverage affordable and accessible for their employees.”  The Treasury Department will provide guidance regarding reporting requirements for insurers, self-insuring employers, and other parties that provide health coverage later this summer.

The Treasury Department’s announcement affects no other ACA provisions.  The state and federal health care exchanges are still scheduled to become operational on October 1, 2013.  Likewise, the effective date for health insurance purchased on the exchanges remains January 1, 2014.