October 1 ACA Communication Deadline Looms -- Are Employers Ready?

COLUMBUS, Ga., Sept. 26, 2013 /PRNewswire/ -- Only five days remain for employers to educate their workers about their health insurance options in order to comply with the federally mandated Oct. 1 communication deadline. To help business decision-makers meet this requirement, Aflac, the No. 1 provider of voluntary and guaranteed renewable insurance in the U.S.¹, created the Health Care Reform Communication Toolkit featuring an array of customizable communications tools and resources that are offered at no charge to employers.

Under the Affordable Care Act, all employers subject to the Fair Labor Standards Act are required to inform their employees about the Health Insurance Marketplace and subsidies by Oct. 1. Yet, a recent survey found that 69 percent of workers say their employer hasn't communicated changes coming to their benefits package despite the upcoming deadline.²

"Navigating health care reform is puzzling and challenging for most employers," said Michael Zuna, Aflac executive vice president and chief marketing officer. "And, many companies aren't prepared to comply with the employee notice deadline which is just a few days away. However, Aflac and its nationwide network of agents can help employers create communications to comply with the requirement and educate employees on reform with easy-to-use templates from our Health Care Reform Communication Toolkit."

Aflac's nationwide network of agents is also available to provide employers with information to help them understand key decision points and make smart benefits choices for their organization and employees.

The Health Care Reform Communication Toolkit is designed to help business decision-makers meet the Oct. 1 deadline for informing employees about the Health Insurance Marketplace. Toolkit materials include:

• Email and letter templates – one for employers who will offer health insurance and one for those who won't that can be used to fulfill the ACA communication requirement.
• A PowerPoint presentation with a high-level overview of the ACA.
• FAQs that address changes to employee benefits plans.
• Videos highlighting Health Insurance Marketplace basics and levels of coverage.

Visit aflac.com/healthcare_reform to learn more about the latest information about health care reform.

About Aflac
When a policyholder gets sick or hurt, Aflac pays cash benefits fast. For nearly six decades, Aflac insurance policies have given policyholders the opportunity to focus on recovery, not financial stress. In the United States, Aflac is the number one provider of guaranteed-renewable insurance. In Japan, Aflac is the number one life insurance company in terms of individual policies in force. Aflac individual and group insurance products provide protection to more than 50 million people worldwide. For seven consecutive years, Aflac has been recognized by Ethisphere magazine as one of the World's Most Ethical Companies. In 2013, FORTUNE magazine recognized Aflac as one of the 100 Best Companies to Work for in America for the 15th consecutive year. Also, in 2013, FORTUNE magazine included Aflac on its list of Most Admired Companies for the 12th time, ranking the company number one in the life and health insurance category. Aflac Incorporated is a Fortune 500 company listed on the New York Stock Exchange under the symbol AFL. To find out more about Aflac, visit aflac.com or espanol.aflac.com.

This material is intended to provide general information about an evolving topic and does not constitute legal, tax or accounting advice regarding any specific situation. Aflac cannot anticipate all the facts that a particular employer or individual will have to consider in their benefits decision-making process. We strongly encourage readers to discuss their HCR situations with their advisors to determine the actions they need to take or to visit healthcare.gov (which may also be contacted at 1-800-318-2596) for additional information.

¹ The NU 200 Industry Leaders," National Underwriter, September 19, 2011

² 2013 Open Enrollment Survey of the Aflac WorkForces Report, a study conducted by Research Now on behalf of Aflac, August 2013

FORTUNE 100 Best Companies to Work For and World's Most Admired Companies are registered trademarks of Time Inc. and are used under License.  FORTUNE and Time Inc. are not affiliated with, and do not endorse products or services of, Aflac.

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SOURCE Aflac