Oct. 1 Employee Notification of Health Care Marketplaces approaching

The National Restaurant Association has launched a new tool to help restaurateurs notify employees about new government-run health insurance marketplaces. Restaurant members of the Louisiana Restaurant Association can use this tool at no charge as they implement the notification process.

SPECIAL NRA NOTIFICATION TOOL WEBINAR--Sept. 12, 1-2 p.m. Register here.

The online employee-notification tool, available at Restaurant.org/Notify, is designed to help employers meet an Oct. 1 federal deadline to notify employees about government-run health insurance exchanges.

“As changes begin to unfold under the health care law in the coming weeks and months, the Louisiana Restaurant Association will continue share valuable information and tools available to help our members navigate the complexities of the law,” said Stan Harris, LRA President/CEO. “The NRA’s new online notification tool is a great benefit of being a member of the LRA.”  

The online tool is available exclusively to NRA restaurant members as a benefit of membership. If you are a restaurant member of the LRA, you are automatically a member of the NRA through our dual membership program.

Among other provisions, the health care law creates a new section of the Fair Labor Standards Act that require employers to provide existing employees with basic information about exchanges by Oct. 1, including letting employees know they may be eligible for federal tax subsidies to buy health plans through exchanges. The mandate applies to all employers covered by the FLSA. Starting in 2014, employers will be required to provide employees with the FLSA notice within 14 days of hiring, according to the Department of Labor.

Exchanges are set to open in every state on Oct. 1 to begin offering millions of Americans new options for buying health insurance for 2014.

The National Restaurant Association’s Notification Tool offers online registration that guides an employer through the law’s required information process so that 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,” Harris added.

The Notification Tool is part of the National Restaurant 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.