This alert is being provided to all types of employers, including employers that offer group health plans, employers that do not, governmental entities, for profit companies, nonprofit organizations, and large and small employers since it relates to an Affordable Care Act (“ACA”) requirement that vaguely limits its application to “any person acting directly or indirectly in the interest of an employer in relation to an employee.”

ACA requires employers to provide a written notice to new hires and current employees about the healthcare exchange and some of the consequences of purchasing coverage through a healthcare exchange instead of enrolling in employer-provided coverage that satisfies federal requirements. Notices must be provided to current employees by October 1, 2013 and to later new hires within 14 days of their start date, regardless of their full- or part-time status and regardless of whether they are enrolled in the employer’s plan. On May 8, 2013, the Department of Labor (“DOL”) provided two model notices and an updated COBRA model election notice that includes healthcare exchange coverage information.

Each of the notices must be personalized for the applicable employer.

  • Technical Release
  • Model Notice for Employers That Offer a Health Plan
  • Model Notice for Employers That Do Not Offer a Health Plan
  • Updated Model COBRA Notice

For more information, please contact the Carlton Fields attorney with whom you usually work, or the author of this Legal News Alert.

©2026 Carlton Fields, P.A. Carlton Fields practices law in California through Carlton Fields, LLP. Carlton Fields publications should not be construed as legal advice on any specific facts or circumstances. The contents are intended for general information and educational purposes only, and should not be relied on as if it were advice about a particular fact situation. The distribution of this publication is not intended to create, and receipt of it does not constitute, an attorney-client relationship with Carlton Fields. This publication may not be quoted or referred to in any other publication or proceeding without the prior written consent of the firm, to be given or withheld at our discretion. To request reprint permission for any of our publications, please use our Contact Us form via the link below. The views set forth herein are the personal views of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of the firm. This site may contain hypertext links to information created and maintained by other entities. Carlton Fields does not control or guarantee the accuracy or completeness of this outside information, nor is the inclusion of a link to be intended as an endorsement of those outside sites.

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