The Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act's excise tax, called the "Cadillac Tax" that goes into effect in 2018 is increasingly factoring into business strategy at major companies, according to The Wall Street Journal.
If companies have high-cost health plans, they will be taxed 40 percent a year on the amount their plans exceed government-set thresholds of $10,200 for individual coverage and $27,500 for family coverage, according to the report.
With the tax looming, 13 publicly traded companies have discussed the Cadillac Tax in conference calls and investor presentations so far this year, according to the report. In all of 2014, eight public companies discussed the tax. While the tax could be changed, delayed or eliminated, many companies are adjusted so they are below the threshold just in case, and shifting to lower cost plans or plans with higher deductibles, according to the report.
Based on information in the report from a survey of 562 human resources and benefits officials, 34 percent of companies are planning to take action or already have taken action to adjust their plans to avoid exceeding the tax threshold. Approximately 23 percent said their plans were not near the threshold and 2.5 percent have decided to pay the tax, according to the report.
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