The Affordable Care Act of 2010 (the “ACA”) is one of the most complex pieces of legislation ever enacted by Congress. Nonetheless, within the morass of that very complicated legislation, there is a relatively straightforward rule applicable to “Grandfathered” Health Insurance Plans. Basically, under the ACA, a group health insurance plan in existence as of March 23, 2010, is exempt from many (but not all) of the ACA’s requirements. If, however, the employer enters into a “new” health insurance plan after March 23, 2010, then all the ACA’s requirements apply to the employers’ health insurance plan. Seems pretty straightforward, right? Well, even the relatively simple legal principles become complicated in the right (or wrong) circumstances. This blog post evaluates a specific situation where what should be a straightforward application of the ACA’s grandfathering rules becomes….not so straightforward; and also illustrates the relationship between legal requirements, and the interplay of legal options and practical considerations imposed by group health insurance carriers.

The Employer – Dental Associates of Florida, D.M.D., P.A.

The case study that is the subject of this blog post is a Florida dental practice called “Dental Associates of Southwest Florida, D.M.D., P.A.” (This is NOT its real name, of course). Dental Associates of Southwest Florida, D.M.D., P.A. (“Dental Associates”) has just been established by a young, relatively recent doctor of dental medicine whom we shall call “Dr. Julie” (also not her real name). Dr. Julie has an undergraduate degree in chemistry, and has always been interested in dental polymers. So, in addition to practicing as a general dentist, Dr. Julie also establishes a small laboratory in which she develops and creates dental crowns for her patients that require such implements.
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