If the actions of the Los Angeles office of the Employee Benefits Security Administration (EBSA) are any indication, the Department of Labor (DOL) has decided that the Supreme Court's recent endorsement of the Affordable Care Act (ACA) represents prime time to begin auditing compliance with all federal health care legislation.
In letters recently sent to local employers, the Los Angeles EBSA branch has requested documentation to support compliance with the ACA and other health care measures, including the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA),the Newborns' and Mothers' Health Protection Act, the Women's Health and Cancer Rights Act, the Mental Health Parity and Addiction Equity Act, and the Genetic Information Nondiscrimination Act (GINA).
In late June, the Supreme Court upheld the constitutionality the health care legislation widely known as Obamacare in a 5-4 vote. The full Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (PPACA, often shortened to ACA), doesn't take full effect until Jan. 1, 2014.