The National Restaurant Association (NRA) has launched a new tool that will help restaurateurs notify their employees about new government-run health insurance marketplaces.
The online employee-notification tool, which was developed to help restaurateurs comply with the health care law’s upcoming employee-notification requirements, was unveiled Sept. 5 and is available at Restaurant.org/Notify. It was designed to help employers meet the Oct. 1 federal deadline that requires them to notify employees about government-run health insurance exchanges.
Exchanges are set to open Oct. 1 in every state and begin offering millions of Americans new options for buying health insurance for 2014.
“As changes under the health care law begin to unfold in the coming weeks and months, the National Restaurant Association will continue to expand the resources and tools we provide to help our members navigate the complexities of the law,” said Phil Kafarakis, the association’s chief innovations and member advancement officer, in a prepared statement.
The online employee-notification tool is available exclusively to NRA members as a benefit of membership.
Under the Affordable Care Act, all employers covered by the Fair Labor Standards Act are required to give existing employees written notice about new government health insurance marketplaces by Oct. 1. According to the Department of Labor, employers will be required to provide the notice to employees within 14 days of hiring starting in 2014.
The notification tool offers online registration that guides employers through the law’s required information process so all employees can be properly notified when they access the site.
“Members who register to use the tool can create online portals to tell their employees about exchanges, track which employees they’ve notified, and keep on- and offline records to document which employees have received the notice,” Kafarakis said.
The Notification Tool is part of the Association’s Health Care Reform Headquarters. The one-stop shop offers NRA members information about how the law affects restaurant businesses, including a Health Care Law Primer that covers key aspects of the law for restaurant employers. The Health Care Reform Headquarters will later offer a marketplace to help restaurant employers and employees shop for Affordable Care Act-compliant health plans.
