ACA Employer Mandate Penalties on the Rise

The penalties for not offering health insurance to your employees if you have 50 or more full-time or full-time equivalent employees in violation of the Affordable Care Act are set to rise again next year.

The IRS has increased the fines for employers that fail to provide health insurance for their workers under the ACA’s employer mandate, as well as for failing to provide coverage that is affordable or coverage that provides “minimum value.” The penalties will apply to plans that start on or after Jan. 1, 2024.

The way most employers find out that they may have violated the employer mandate is if they get a 226-J letter from the IRS, which would be prompted by one of your employees receiving premium subsidies after purchasing coverage on a government-run exchange.

Under the mandate, employers with 50 or more full-time or full-time equivalent workers are required to offer 95% of them affordable health coverage. There are two different penalties for violations:

The A penalty

This is levied on an applicable large employer (ALE) for failing to offer minimum essential coverage to 95% of full-time employees and their dependents and if just one of those employees receives a subsidy when they buy insurance on a government-run ACA marketplace.

New penalty amount:$2,970 per employee, up $90 from 2023.

This penalty can be especially damaging. While it is not assessed for the first 30 employees if triggered, it applies to all of the employer’s full-time employees, meaning costs can quickly add up.

The B penalty

This fine is levied if an applicable large employer fails to offer coverage that is affordable and/or fails to provide minimum value, and just one full-time employee receives subsidized coverage through the marketplace.

Coverage is deemed unaffordable if an employer fails to offer at least one self-only health plan where any employee’s share of the premium does not exceed 9.12 % (the 2023 threshold) of their household income. The affordability threshold has not yet been announced for 2024.

In order to provide minimum value, an employer-sponsored plan must cover at least 60% of average costs and provide substantial coverage for inpatient and physician services.

New penalty amount: The annual penalty for a type B infraction rises to $4,460 per employee in 2024, up $140 from this year. Typically, this penalty is broken down into monthly increments depending on how long an employee receives subsidized coverage on an exchange.

The takeaway

While you no doubt already offer coverage to your employees if you’re an ALE, it’s important to pay attention to next year’s affordability threshold.

Any downward change means you have to recheck to ensure that at least one of your plans offers coverage deemed affordable to your lowest-paid employee.

Also, be especially mindful during the new-employee onboarding process to ensure they are properly identified and offered coverage.

If the IRS suspects you are out of compliance, it will send you a 226-J letter. You’ll be glad you have all your paperwork in order if you receive one of these letters.

The 226-J letters are also sent to employers if they make mistakes on their Form 1095-C.

If you receive one of these letters, contact us for assistance.

Insurers Promise to Keep Covering Preventative Services

Most health insurers plan to continue offering free preventative care services despite a federal judge having imposed a nationwide injunction on an Affordable Care Act requirement that these services are covered with no out-of-pocket costs on the part of patients, according to a letter by industry trade groups.

With concern growing that this important part of the ACA would suddenly be revoked, some of the nation’s largest insurers and industry trade associations penned a letter to lawmakers, stating that: “The overwhelming majority do not anticipate making changes to no-cost-share preventive services and do not expect disruptions in coverage of preventive care while the case proceeds through the courts.

“Our associations have long supported preventive care and continue to do so. By responding together, we wish to make clear our strong support for continued access to preventive health care for millions of Americans who rely on it. “

Signatories to the letter include the Blue Cross Blue Shield Association, the American Benefits Council and America’s Health Insurance Plans.

The letter was written in response to Democrats on health committees in the U.S. Senate and House or Representatives asking for information from 12 of the nation’s largest health insurers on how they plan to respond to the decision by the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Texas in Braidwood Management Inc. vs. Becerra.

That decision struck down the ACA requirement that most health plans and issuers cover without cost-sharing the more than 100 preventative services recommended by the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force (USPSTF).

The judge in the case reasoned that the ACA requirement to cover with no cost-sharing medications for HIV prevention violates the rights of the plaintiffs who have religious objections to these medicines. The order immediately blocked the requirement nationwide to cover not only the HIV-prevention medicines, but all preventative services recommended by the USPSTF.

The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services has appealed the decision to the U.S. Fifth District Circuit Court and the Justice Department has asked that the decision be paused as the appeal process plays out.

The lawmakers also asked if the insurance carriers would honor the ACA’s rules until all appeals are exhausted, including all the way to the U.S. Supreme Court.

Fallout from the ruling

The federal court’s decision has caused panic and concern among patients’ rights advocates that insurers would immediately stop covering these services, which have become an essential part of health care in the last decade.

If the ruling stands and survives appeals, insurers could impose deductibles and copays for potentially lifesaving screening tests.

The lawmakers on April 13 wrote in their letter to the insurance industry: “We are very concerned that the decision will unnecessarily cause confusion, force consumers to pay out-of-pocket, and result in patients foregoing preventive services screenings and treatment altogether. There is evidence that even modest cost-sharing deters patients from accessing care and exposure to cost-sharing reduces the use of preventive care.”

The trade associations that responded to the lawmakers’ request to continue honoring the ACA rules said that preventative care is popular and effective, and that the decision from the federal judge likely is just the start of a lengthy legal process.

If the decision were to stand, there are still some preventative screenings that are not covered by the ACA, and it would not affect all states. There are 15 states with laws requiring insurers to cover with no patient cost-sharing the same preventative services that the federal law requires.

Premium Reimbursement Plans Grow in Usage, Despite Drawbacks

More employers are opting to fund accounts that their employees can draw on to purchase their own health insurance, either on an Affordable Care Act exchange or on the open individual market, according to a new report.

Individual Coverage Health Reimbursement Arrangements (ICHRAs) offer employees a set budget for premiums, allowing them to pick the health care plan that works best for them.

Some companies have been exploring these arrangements in lieu of providing their group health benefits, in order to save money and reduce the administrative burden, according to the “2022 ICHRA Report” by PeopleKeep, a human resources software company.

The average amount employers funded ICHRAs with was $981 per employee in the year ended June 30, 2022, according to the report. That is twice as much that’s needed to purchase the average lowest-cost gold plan on the marketplace.

But these plans have their drawbacks and are not for all employers. So, it’s important to understand how they work and their limitations.

The ICHRA explained

ICHRAs, created by regulations promulgated by the IRS in 2019, allow employers subject to ACA coverage requirements to forgo purchasing insurance for employees and instead provide extra funds for them to purchase their own health insurance coverage. Here are some ICHRA basics:

  • Regulations allow for employers to offer ICHRAs to some of their employees, and group health benefits to others.
  • Some accounts are restricted to reimbursing only for health insurance premiums, while others also reimburse for out-of-pocket medical expenses. Unspent funds can be saved over the course of the pay period for expenses in the calendar year.
  • Every pay period, the employer will fund the account with a set amount over the course of the year. The employee will pay for their premiums and get reimbursed by showing proof of payment.
  • Employees don’t pay taxes on health care spending reimbursed through the ICHRA.
  • Accounts are not portable when employment ends.
  • For applicable large employers subject to the ACA employer mandate, the ICHRA funding must meet the ACA’s coverage and affordability requirements and be enough to purchase the lowest-cost silver plan on the marketplace.
  • There is no limit on how much an employer can fund the account with.

Not a good fit for all firms

There are many restrictions to ICHRAs as well as drawbacks which employers need to consider:

  • The employee loses the employer-sponsored coverage they’re accustomed to and has to fend for themselves to find coverage that fits within the budget their employer provides. This could cause employee resentment.
  • Offering group health plans to salaried employees and higher-wage staff and ICHRAs to lower-wage workers, who may view it as a two-tier system, could again cause resentment.
  • Having an ICHRA could affect recruitment efforts and retention, as most workers have grown accustomed to their group health benefits.
  • Employees may choose plans that leave them with either higher premiums than they’d pay for a group plan, or higher out-of-pocket expenses on the back end.
  • Employees must use the funds to purchase health insurance and they may not be enrolled in their spouse’s health plan.
  • If your ICHRA is considered affordable according to ACA rules, employees lose the premium tax credit if they opt out of the ICHRA. If your ICHRA is considered unaffordable under ACA rules, they can claim the premium tax credit and waive their right to the ICHRA.

Businesses most suited for ICHRAs

These plans often work best for operations that have:

  • High staff turnover.
  • A large number of lower-paid workers.
  • A mix of salaried and hourly workers.
  • A mix of employees at the company site and remote workers in other regions.

The takeaway

Sticking with a traditional group health plan can help you with recruitment and retention, but for some employers who look to attract workers who do not put a priority on employee benefits, these types of plans could be a good fit.

Making a move to one of these plans takes careful consideration and planning. We can help you sort through the facts and fiction about these accounts.

Small-Group Market Remains Stable under the ACA

A new report has concluded that the Affordable Care Act, which took full effect in 2013, did not result in a significant change in the number of employers offering health insurance, although the rate at which small employers offered coverage declined slightly by 2.6 percentage points between 2013 and 2020.

The study by the Urban Institute found that the small-group health insurance market remained relatively stable during those seven years, a period marked by employers continuing to shift more of the premium burden to their employees.

As of 2020, about half of small employers (companies with fewer than 50 employees) offered health insurance to their staff, while 99% of large companies offered health plans.

Employers with fewer than 50 workers are not subject to the ACA’s employer mandate, which requires firms with 50 or more employees to provide affordable health insurance that covers a slate of benefits mandated by the landmark law.

The study found that smaller employers are still less likely to offer health coverage than their larger peers. The share of employers of workers with group health coverage in 2020 was:

  • 81% for companies with 25-99 employees.
  • 56% for companies with 10-24 employees.
  • 30% for companies with fewer than 10 employees.

The study authors wrote that whether small firms offer health insurance coverage varies substantially. “Though many small firms such as restaurants and retail stores primarily employ low-wage and part-time workers, other small firms, such as professional services firms, primarily employ full-time and high-wage workers. Thus, average trends for all small firms may hide differences among them,” they said.

The pandemic effect

Notably, the COVID-19 pandemic had an effect on the number of small employers that offer group health insurance to their staff. Group health plan enrollment among workers in small firms dropped to 7.9 million in 2020, compared to an average of 9.2 million in the prior seven years.

The study authors say the drop was likely due to decreases in employment in small companies at the start of the pandemic.

Meanwhile, the average annual inflation rate for group health premiums remained steady between 2013 and 2020, with average increases of 3.2% in the small-group market and 3.7% in the medium- and large-group markets.

Despite that, most employers continued shifting the premium costs to their employees:

  • Workers in firms with 1,000 or more employees contributed on average 26% in 2013 for family plans, and the same in 2020.
  • Workers in firms with between 100 and 999 employees contributed on average 30.5% in 2014 and 32% in 2020.
  • Workers in companies with fewer than 50 employees paid 29% of premium costs in 2013 for family plans, a rate that had risen to 35% in 2020.
  • Employees working in firms with fewer than 10 employees have maintained the lowest contribution rates across all firm sizes for both single and family premiums over the past two decades (the report made this assertion, but provided no data).

The present

Despite early concerns that the ACA would result in many small employers dumping coverage for their workers, the changes were muted at best.

In fact, offer rates among small employers has remained steady in recent years, except for the blip in 2020. And during the 10 years prior to the enactment of the ACA, the number of small employers offering coverage had been dwindling rapidly.

Small employers have had to continue offering health benefits to remain competitive in the job market, and that shows no signs of abating now.

Large Employers Must File ACA Forms, Not the Insurers

One mistake more and more employers are making is failing to file the required Affordable Care Act tax-related forms with the IRS.

If you are what’s considered an “applicable large employer” (ALE) under the ACA, you are required to file with the IRS forms 1094 and 1095, often separately and before your annual tax returns are due.

Under the ACA, employers with 50 or more full-time and “full-time equivalent” workers are considered an ALE and are required to provide affordable health insurance to their staff that also covers 10 essential benefits as prescribed by the law. This is what’s known as “the employer mandate.”

Filing these documents is not the responsibility of your health insurer as it’s you that’s arranging the employer-sponsored health insurance for your staff. Be aware that you can face penalties if you:

  • Don’t file the forms in a timely manner,
  • Make mistakes when filing the forms, or
  • Fail to file the forms altogether.

The IRS requires these forms to ensure that ALEs are providing health coverage to their employees and that the employer is complying with the employer mandate portion of the ACA.

The forms

  • Form 1095-C — This is basically the W-2 reporting form for health insurance. The form tells the IRS which employers are providing coverage and which employees are getting coverage through their employers.
  • Form 1094-C — This form provides information about health insurance coverage that the employer provides.

Here are the deadlines you need to be aware of:

  • Jan. 31, 2022 — Individual statements (Form 1094 C) for 2021 must be furnished to employees by this date.
  • Feb. 28, 2022 — If filing paper returns, Forms 1094 C and 1095 C must be filed by this date.
  • March 31, 2022 — If filing electronically, Forms 1094 C and 1095 C must be filed by this date.

Penalties

The general potential late/incorrect ACA reporting penalties are $280 for the late/incorrect Forms 1095-C furnished to employees, and $280 for the late/incorrect Forms 1094-C and copies of the Forms 1095-C filed with the IRS.

That comes to a total potential general ACA reporting penalty of $560 per employee when factoring in both the late/incorrect Form 1095-C furnished to the employee and the late/incorrect copy of that Form 1095-C filed with the IRS.

The maximum penalty for a calendar year will not exceed $3,392,000 for late/incorrect furnishing or filing.

Court Rules ACA Individual Mandate Unconstitutional

The U.S. Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals has upheld a lower court’s decision that the individual mandate portion of the Affordable Care Act is unconstitutional because the penalty was set to zero in 2017.

However, the fate of the entire law is still in play after the court remanded the question of whether that means the entire ACA should be declared void back down to the district court.

Proponents of abolishing the ACA say that its lack of a “severability provision” means that if any element of the ACA is found unconstitutional, the entire law must go. However, that would likely create chaos for the health insurance marketplace.

Two of the three judges on the court on December 18 upheld a lower court’s decision that the individual mandate is not constitutional because it cannot be construed as a tax.

The judges wrote: “The individual mandate is unconstitutional because it can no longer be read as a tax, and there is no other constitutional provision that justifies this exercise of congressional power. On the severability question, we remand to the district court to provide additional analysis of the provisions of the ACA as they currently exist.”

The decision prolongs the court process and ensures that the future of the landmark health care law remains uncertain.

There is much at stake in this case. If the entire law is thrown out by courts, it would reverberate through the health care industry, including insurance providers and hospitals, and put the coverage of millions of Americans at stake.

The decision would affect people who buy coverage in the individual market and those with coverage through Medicaid expansion, Medicare and from their employers.

The ruling that the individual mandate is unconstitutional will be appealed to the U.S. Supreme Court by the 20 Democratic states that are now defending the ACA in this court fight against republican states that filed the suit to abolish the law on the grounds that it is unconstitutional.

Some background

The ACA individual mandate provision ― or “individual shared responsibility” provision ― initially required many people to own what the government classifies as solid major medical coverage, or else pay a penalty. Congress passed a tax bill in 2017 that included a provision setting the penalty at zero.

ACA critics challenged the mandate through a case that reached the Supreme Court in 2012.

In a ruling on that case, the Supreme Court held that a federal law that blocks challenges to new taxes protected the individual mandate provision, because the penalty was a tax.

Critics of the provision say that, now the new tax law has set the individual mandate penalty at zero, the individual mandate is no longer a tax and can no longer benefit from the legal protection accorded to federal taxes.

The takeaway

Because of this ruling, the lower court will likely start hearings on whether the entire law should be thrown out based on the elimination of the penalties for not securing coverage.

The other part of the ruling, that the individual mandate is unconstitutional, is destined for appeal to the Supreme Court. It’s unlikely that it would be heard in 2020 and that the issue about the fate of the rest of the law will take years to wind its way through the courts.

Preventative Care Services Available in All ACA-Compliant Plans

One beneficial change the Affordable Care Act brought about was the complete coverage of preventative care. With all approved insurance plans and Marketplace plans, several preventative services such as shots and screenings are provided at no cost to the policyholder.

Preventative Services For Adults

Marketplace plans and other insurance plans are required to cover a specific range of preventative services. If a policyholder has an annual deductible to meet and has not yet met it, these services are still provided for free. They must be administered by an in-network provider. 

The following list includes covered services:

  • One abdominal aortic aneurysm screening for men of certain ages who have smoked.
  • Blood pressure screenings for adults of all ages.
  • Aspirin for men and women of all ages for prevention of cardiovascular disease.
  • Colorectal cancer screenings for any adults over the age of 50.
  • Cholesterol screenings for adults in specific age and risk groups.
  • Alcohol misuse counseling and screenings for adults of all ages.
  • Diet counseling for adults in risk groups for chronic diseases.
  • Depression screenings for adults of all ages.
  • Type 2 Diabetes screenings for adults who have high blood pressure.
  • HIV and Hepatitis C screenings for adults in specific age and risk groups.
  • Immunizations and booster shots for infectious diseases and viruses.
  • Lung cancer screenings for adults who are at risk.
  • STI prevention counseling for adults who are at risk.
  • Obesity counseling for adults of all ages.
  • Tobacco screenings and cessation services for adults who are tobacco users.
  • Syphilis screenings for adults who are at risk.

Preventative Services For Women

In addition to any applicable services in the previous section, women also receive the following free preventative services:

  • Anemia screenings for pregnant women.
  • Breast cancer mammography every one to two years for women over the age of 40.
  • BRCA counseling and chemo prevention counseling for at-risk women.
  • Breastfeeding support and counseling for nursing women.
  • Chlamydia screenings for young and at-risk women.
  • Cervical cancer screenings for women of all ages who are sexually active.
  • Domestic violence screenings and counseling for all women.
  • Contraceptives and sterilization for women of all ages.
  • Gestational diabetes screenings for pregnant women.
  • Folic acid for women who are or who may become pregnant.
  • Hepatitis B screenings for pregnant women.
  • Gonorrhea screenings for at-risk women.
  • Rh incompatibility screenings for pregnant women.
  • UTI screenings for pregnant women.
  • Osteoporosis screenings for at-risk women over the age of 60.
  • Well-woman visits for women under the age of 65. 

Preventative Services For Children

Children receive a wide array of free preventative services. The following are included in all ACA-compliant policies: 

  • Autism screenings at 18 and 24 months.
  • Blood pressure screenings for children of all ages.
  • Alcohol and drug screenings for adolescents.
  • Behavioral assessments for children of all ages.
  • Immunizations and booster shots for children of all approved ages.
  • Depression screenings for adolescents.
  • Cervical dysplasia screenings for girls who are sexually active.
  • Height, BMI and weight measurements for children of all ages.
  • Dyslipidemia screenings for at-risk children.
  • Hearing screenings for all newborn babies.
  • Developmental screenings for children under the age of three.
  • HIV screenings for at-risk adolescents.
  • Gonorrhea prevention medication for all newborn babies.
  • Iron for children who are at risk for developing anemia.
  • Hypothyroidism screenings for all newborn babies.
  • Oral health screenings for children under the age of 10.
  • Fluoride supplements for children who are deficient.
  • Hemoglobinopathies and sickle cell screenings for at-risk newborns. 
  • Obesity screenings and counseling for children of all ages.
  • Lead screenings for at-risk children.
  • Hematocrit screenings for at-risk children.
  • Medical history for children of all ages.
  • TB testing for children of all ages.
  • PKU screenings for all newborn babies.
  • STI prevention counseling for at-risk adolescents.
  • Vision screenings for children of all ages.

To determine at-risk classifications and specific age groups, check an individual policy. For answers to questions, discuss any concerns with us.

Get an Early Start on Open Enrollment

As open enrollment is right around the corner, now is the time to make a plan to maximize employee enrollment and help your staff select the health plans that best suit them.

You’ll also need to make sure that you comply with the Affordable Care Act if it applies to your organization, as well as other laws and regulations.

Here are some pointers to make open enrollment fruitful for both your staff and your organization.

Review what you did last year

Review the results of last year’s enrollment efforts to make sure the process and the perks remain relevant and useful to workers.

Were the various approaches and communication channels you used effective, and did you receive any feedback about the process, either good or bad?

Start early with notifications

You should give your employees at least a month’s notice before open enrollment, and provide them with the materials they will need to make an informed decision.

This includes the various health plans that you are offering your staff for next year.

Encourage them to read the information and come to your human resources point person with questions.

Help in sorting through plans

You should be able to help them figure out which plan features fit their needs, and how much the plans will cost them out of their paycheck. Use technology to your advantage, particularly any registration portal that your plan provider offers. Provide a single landing page for all enrollment applications.

Also, hold meetings on the plans and put notices in your staff’s paycheck envelopes.

Plan materials

Communicate to your staff any changes to a health plan’s benefits for the next plan year through an updated summary plan description or a summary of material modifications.

Confirm that their open enrollment materials contain certain required participant notices, when applicable – such as the summary of benefits and coverage.

Check grandfathered status

A grandfathered plan is one that was in existence when the ACA was enacted on March 23, 2010, and is thus exempt from some of the law’s requirements.

If you have a grandfathered plan, talk to us to confirm whether it will maintain its grandfathered status for the next plan year. If it is, you must notify your employees of the plan status. If it’s not, you need to confirm with us that your plan comports with the ACA in terms of benefits offered.

ACA affordability standard

Under the ACA’s employer shared responsibility rules, applicable large employers must offer “affordable” plans, based on a percentage of the employee’s household income. For plan years that begin on or after Jan. 1 of next year, the affordability percentage is 9.86% of household income. At least one of your plans must meet this threshold.

Get spouses involved

Benefits enrollment is a family affair, so getting spouses involved is critical. You should encourage your employees to share the health plan information with their spouses, so they can make informed decisions on their health insurance together.

Also, encourage any spouses who have questions to schedule an appointment to get questions answered.

New Cost-Sharing Limits Set for ACA-Compliant Plans

The Department of Health and Human Services has released the 2020 cost-sharing limits for non-grandfathered plans that comply with the Affordable Care Act.

HHS is charged with setting the premium adjustment percentage, and it changed the formula for calculating cost-sharing limits this year. The agency says this will result in a higher maximum annual limitation on cost-sharing – and possibly higher employer shared responsibility penalties. The latter amounts have to be approved by the IRS.

The final 2020 maximum cost-sharing values are:

  • $8,150 for self-only coverage, up from $7,900 this year, and
  • $16,300 for other than self-only coverage, up from $15,800 this year.

Penalties

As you will know, the ACA also includes a provision called the “Employer Shared Responsibility” penalty, which is levied on applicable large employers who fail to offer coverage to a sufficient amount of their workers or fail to offer coverage that does not provide minimum value or is not affordable, as per ACA regulations.

The penalties proposed for 2020 are as follows:

  • $2,570 per full-time employee (minus the first 30) for failing to offer coverage to a sufficient number of full-time employees.
  • $3,860 per full time employee if the employer offers coverage to a sufficient number of full-time employees, but the coverage either doesn’t provide minimum value or is not affordable.

The latter penalty only applies to full-time employees who have received a premium tax credit for health insurance they have purchased on a government-run health insurance exchange.

Please note that these amounts have not yet been finalized. The IRS must approve the new penalty levels before they take effect.

DOJ Files Brief Asking Court to Throw Out ACA

The stakes for the future of the Affordable Care Act just got higher after the U.S. Department of Justice filed a brief with a federal appeals court to strike down every facet of the landmark legislation.

The DOJ’s filing in the case states that the law is unconstitutional in its entirety and should be struck down. The filing concerns a case that had been brought by Texas and other Republican-led states that challenged the constitutionality of the law.

The trial judge in the case had ruled the entire law had been nullified after Congress in December 2017 passed legislation that jettisoned the individual penalties for not securing health coverage.

A group of 21 Democratic-led states, headed by California, immediately appealed the judge’s ruling. The appeal will be heard by the Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals in New Orleans. The DOJ’s brief urges the Fifth Circuit to uphold the trial judge’s ruling.

U.S. District Judge Reed O’Connor of the Northern District of Texas ruled in December 2018 that a congressional tax law passed in 2017 which zeroed out the penalty imposed by the ACA’s individual mandate rendered the entire health care law unconstitutional. The ACA remains in effect pending the outcome of the appeal.

Most legal pundits expect that the lower court’s ruling will be overturned. The decision not to appeal the ruling by the Trump administration had been foreshadowed, but still had many legal observers surprised that the DOJ would choose not to defend the law of the land.

Others have pointed out that if Congress’s intent had been to nullify the ACA when it got rid of the penalties for individuals who don’t abide by the individual mandate, it would have written that into the legislation. But the only part of the ACA that was addressed in the tax bill was the individual mandate penalty, and not any other parts of the law.

So what’s likely to happen?

It’s too early to know how this will all shake out. But even if the Fifth Circuit upholds the lower court verdict, the ruling would be appealed to the Supreme Court. If the Fifth Circuit overturns the lower court’s ruling, the Supreme Court may not even take up the case since it has already ruled twice before in favor of the ACA.

There are also widespread concerns over any sudden overturning the law. The effects would be widespread, especially in the individual market, and uncertain for many employees who now get coverage from their jobs thanks to the employer mandate portion of the law.