Affordable Care Act (ACA)

The Affordable Care Act (ACA) is the major healthcare reform enacted on March 23, 2010. ACA requires large employers like Louisiana State University to offer health insurance coverage to substantially all (at least 95%) of their full-time employees, which for this purpose is defined as an employee averaging 30 or more hours of work per week. Additionally, the ACA requires the University to complete complex annual IRS reporting. These requirements make it critically important for the University to be able to track hours for all employees.

The ACA requires employers to report the value of health insurance coverage on employees' W-2 forms. The purpose of the value of health coverage, as stated by the IRS, is to provide employees useful and comparable consumer information on the cost of health care coverage. This amount is not taxable and does not include the value of dental or life coverage.   

The ACA requires employers to send an annual statement (on paper or electronically) to eligible employees describing the health insurance coverage that was offered to them. The IRS Form 1095-C serves as that statement. LSU makes this 1095-C form available each year.

Form 1095-C Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

These forms are distributed to employees each calendar year. You do not need this form to file your taxes; however, you are encouraged to keep it with your tax records. If you have questions related to your Form 1095-C, believe the information is incorrect, or would like a paper copy, please contact benefits@lsu.edu.

Individuals will indicate on their Form 1040, 1040A, or 1040EZ if they have complied with the individual shared responsibility mandate.

LSU will send out all 1095-C forms by the IRS deadline following the applicable tax year. While the information on these forms may assist in preparing your tax return, the Form 1095-C is not required. You can prepare and file your return using other information about your health insurance.

The IRS has stated that you do not have to wait for a Form 1095-C from your employer to file your individual income tax return. Other forms of documentation that would provide proof of your insurance coverage include:

  • Insurance cards,
  • Explanation of benefits
  • Statements from your insurer,
  • W-2 or payroll statements reflecting health insurance deductions, records of advance payments of the premium tax credit and other statements indicating that you, or a member of your family, had health care coverage.

You will not need to send the IRS proof of your health coverage. However, you should keep any documentation with your other tax records. This includes records of your family’s employer-provided coverage, premiums paid, and type of coverage.

The Tax Cuts and Jobs Act reduced the shared responsibility payment to zero for tax year 2019 and all subsequent years.

  1. Click on the profile icon in the upper right-hand corner on your Workday homepage.
  2. Click on “View Profile.”
  3. Below your name, click on the "Actions" button.
  4. Hover your mouse over “Benefits”
  5. Click on “View My ACA Forms” at the bottom of the drop-down.
  6. Locate the line for year and click on the View/Print button.
  7. Click “Notify Me Later.” The PDF link should pop up in the upper right-hand corner of the screen within a few seconds.
  8. Click on the link to access the file. You can print or save your 1095-C form from here.

Part I: Reports information about you and your employer.

Part II: Reports information about the coverage offered to you by your employer, the affordability of the coverage offered, and the reason why you were or were not offered coverage for each month. The dollar amount listed on Line 15 is the lowest monthly cost for employee only coverage that was available to you in that calendar month. It is not necessarily what you actually paid for coverage that month.

Part III: Reports information about the individuals covered under your plan, including dependents.

The codes listed in Part II provide information to the IRS about the coverage offered to you by LSU, the affordability of the coverage, and the reason why you were or were not offered coverage for each month. Explanations for each code can be found in the instructions of Form 1095-C.

Helpful Resources 

The federal government's HealthCare.Gov website provides a comparison tool, answers to frequently asked questions, and the option to enroll in insurance through the exchanges.

The Kaiser Family Foundation website provides a calculator that estimates how a Marketplace plan could impact your family.

Health Insurance Marketplace Coverage Form Approved Options and Your Health Coverage
To assist you as you evaluate options for you and your family, this notice provides some basic information about the Health Insurance Marketplace and health coverage offered through your employment.