This availability of subsidies may have significant implications for employers as a result of the ACA’s employer mandate. Under the employer mandate, large employers may face penalties if they do not offer coverage that meets certain requirements to their full-time employees.
However, penalties apply only if an employee receives a subsidy to buy coverage through an Exchange. If the subsidy is available only in state-based Exchanges, employers would not be subject to penalties for employees living in states with an FFE.
On July 22, 2014, two federal appeals courts—the District of Columbia Circuit Court and the 4th U.S. Circuit Court—issued inconsistent rulings on the availability of subsidies in states with FFEs.
In Halbig v. Burwell, the D.C. Circuit Court held that the IRS rule authorizing subsidies in states with FFEs is invalid. In a 2-1 opinion, the court ruled that the text of the ACA clearly restricts the subsidies to individuals in states that established their own Exchanges.
In King v. Burwell, the 4th Circuit Court unanimously upheld the availability of the ACA’s subsidies in states with their own Exchanges and in states with FFEs.
