The Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (PPACA), otherwise known as the “Health Care Reform Act” was signed into law on March 23, 2010 by President Obama. Most of the initial provisions did not go into affect for 6 months, or September 23, 2010. The bill is a whopping 2000+ pages long, with a 14-page Table of Contents! It’s no wonder that most employers have little comprehension of what is contained in the bill, and less understanding of how the bill will affect their business. To understand the impact of the bill on your business, you should contact a specialist who is an expert on small business medical insurance plans and is familiar with the Act.In the meantime, we will take a cursory view of health care reform, and a year-by-year snapshot of changes to come. Hopefully, it will provide a starting part for discussion.The Act contains five key provisions:1. The requirement for all US citizens and legal residents to have health insurance;2. Penalties for employers who do not offer health insurance for their employees;3. State Based Health Exchanges created to offer cost effective insurance options4. Premium credits for low income individuals;5. Eliminates pre-existing condition and annual/lifetime benefit limitsA Year by Year Look at Health Care ReformSome changes went into effect in 2010, such as coverage for adult dependents (dependents until age 26), and several more will happen in 2011. The most significant changes, however, will not go into effect until 2014. Below is a snapshot of key changes that will be going into effect in the coming years:2011· No pre-tax reimbursements from “health accounts” for non-prescribed, over the counter medications,· 20% tax on nonqualified HSA withdrawals,· Reporting the value of employer sponsored coverage on w-2′s (delayed)· Automatic enrollment in long term care program, employer may opt out (delayed),· Drug company fees: $2.5 billion in 2011, $4.2 billion in 20182012· Uniform explanation of coverage,· Pre-enrollment document sent explaining benefits and exclusions,· 60 day notice for material modifications, if not provided in uniform explanation of coverage,2013· FSA contributions limited to $2,500,· New federal employer tax, $2.00 per covered individual per plan year· Medicare payroll tax increase from 1.45% to 2.35%,· Employer notice to employees of exchanges, premium subsidies, and free choice vouchers,2014· Individual mandate – every citizen must have coverage,· Individual penalties for not purchasing coverage,· Guaranteed issue,· State health exchanges effective· Standard benefit plans, (bronze, silver, gold, platinum),· Waiting period not more than 90 days,· Employer penalties for not offering coverage or at least one FTE receives a tax credit,· Health insurance company fees: $8 billion 2014, $14.3 billion 2018, 2019 prior year amount increased by premium growth rate.2018· Cadillac Tax. 40% tax on plans value in excess of $10,200 single, $27,500 family.Penalties for Non-CoverageAs stated, most of the act’s important provisions will become effective in 2014. The most relevant law for employers is the penalty they will face for non-coverage of employees. The exact penalties are complicated to calculate, base on numerous factors. Some of the basic guidelines are outlined below:Employers with more than 50 employees: · If coverage is not offered by the employer and even one full-time employee (FTE) receives a premium tax credit, the employer will pay a fee of $2,000 per FTE, excluding the first 30 ee’s.· If “affordable” coverage is not offered and one FTE receives a premium tax credit, the employer will pay the lesser of $3,000 for each employee receiving a tax credit, or $2,000 for each FTE. Affordable coverage is defined as an employee cost of health insurance, less than 9.5% of household income and the actuarial value of plan is at least 60%.· A Voucher will be required if the employee contribution exceeds 8% of household income.All Employers: · Employers that offer coverage are required to provide a free choice voucher to employees with incomes less than 400% of the Family Poverty Level (FPL), whose share of premium exceeds 8% but less than 9.8% of their income and who chose to enroll in a plan in the Exchange.· A Voucher equals to what the employer would have paid to provide coverage under the employer’s plan. Employers providing free choice vouchers are not subject to penalties.Employers with 200 or more employees· Required to automatically enroll employees into health plans offered by employer. Employees may opt out.If the provisions of the health care reform act sound complex, they are! We highly recommend you consult with a specialist who is an expert on small business medical insurance plans and is familiar with the Act. Feel free to contact CPEhr’s benefits specialist with any health care reform questions.
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Investment Property Loan Types
An investment property mortgage is a loan for non-owner occupied property. There are two main classifications of investment property mortgages. These classifications include: commercial and residential. A commercial property mortgage is for a dwelling that contains 5 or more units and/or is zoned as commercial. A residential investment mortgage is for a dwelling that is one to four units and is zoned residential. Commercial and residential mortgages are two completely different loan types and have significantly different qualification standards. The following is a basic description of each mortgage type.Residential Property Investment LoansResidential property investment mortgages have similar qualification guidelines as standard owner-occupied mortgages. Although, they do have higher down payment and credit score requirements. Below is a summary of the general guidelines for residential investment mortgages.• Credit Score Requirement – The minimum credit score requirement is typically 680 or above for investment mortgages.• Debt to Income Ratio – Typically, the debt ratio limit for an investment mortgage is 40% of the borrower’s verifiable income. Besides W2 income, the borrower’s last 2 years tax returns will be needed to calculate the income that can be used from other rental properties or other sources of income.• Down Payment – Investment property mortgages require at least 15% down, but the down payment requirement increases with lower credit scores and the greater the number of units in the property.• Income – Lenders typically will only use rental income if the borrower has a two-year history of owning rental properties. This is usually documented via the tax returns and schedules.Commercial Property Investment LoansCommercial loans typically have higher rates, greater fees, and shorter terms than residential mortgage. The two most important factors for lenders on this loan type include: a positive cash-flow for the property, and the borrower’s past commercial property management experience. Below is a summary of the general guidelines for residential investment mortgages.• Credit Scores Requirement – The minimum credit score requirement is typically 720 to 740 for a commercial loan.• Down Payment – The minimum down payment for a commercial mortgage is typically 30% or greater. When refinancing, the maximum equity position is usually 70% of the appraised value of the property.• Debt Service Coverage – This is a ratio used by lenders to calculate the property’s ability to generate cash flow. It is a calculation comparing the net operating income minus the mortgage payment and the other debt payments.Other funding sources include: hard money lenders and private loans. Hard money loans are short-term loans from private investors. Private lenders typically use the equity position in the property as the determining factor whether they will approve and fund the loan. There are usually excessive closing costs and fees (points) charged on this type of loan. Private loans are loans that a person would receive from their family or friends. The terms may or may not be similar to hard money loans. Both hard money and private lenders typically only put a lien on the property and do not report payments on the borrower’s credit report.
Commercial Financing for Special Purpose Business Properties
Funeral homes, assisted living facilities, campgrounds and other special purpose properties represent one of the most difficult commercial loan situations which will be confronted by a business owner. Unique properties are not easily understood by traditional lenders, so the most common solution involves finding a non-traditional lender for funeral home financing as well as commercial financing for other special purpose properties. Such non-traditional lenders will be appropriate for purchase situations as well as refinancing and new construction.KEY REASONS FOR DIFFICULTY IN ARRANGING COMMERCIAL FINANCING FOR SPECIAL PURPOSE PROPERTIES(1) By definition special purpose properties are not similar to other commercial properties. This makes many lenders uncomfortable due to the likely difficulty of finding another owner for a unique commercial property should it be necessary due to a loan default.(2) For funeral homes and many other special purpose commercial properties, most of the business value is represented by non-real estate assets. With traditional commercial lenders that focus on commercial real estate loans, it is almost impossible to get a loan based on the real estate value and the business value. For example, it is not uncommon to have a situation in which the real estate for a funeral home is valued at less than one million dollars while the overall business value is in excess of three million dollars.(3) Because commercial financing is so difficult to arrange for special purpose properties such as funeral homes, assisted living facilities and campgrounds, sellers of such properties are generally willing to provide substantial seller financing to assist the buyer in acquiring the business. However, many traditional lenders do not recognize or accept seller financing as a means of reducing down payment requirements for special purpose properties.(4) Many lenders simply do not understand the business complexities associated with a special purpose property. As a result, it is not uncommon for these lenders to attach onerous and expensive requirements such as business plans and environmental reviews. In most cases such lenders do not even want to make the business loan but will use undesirable loan requirements as a means of appearing to approve a loan when in fact they have disapproved the loan by adding commercial loan terms that they do not expect a commercial borrower to accept.COMMERCIAL LOAN SOLUTIONS FOR SPECIAL PURPOSE PROPERTIES For a business borrower facing the situation described above, the highest priority should be to locate a non-traditional commercial lender that engages in the following commercial loan practices:(1) Openly welcomes special purpose properties and routinely finances such properties.(2) Provides commercial financing for both the business and real estate.(3) Accepts substantial seller financing.(4) Does not add special requirements to the business loan for special purpose commercial properties.(5) Has a history of making loans for the specific type of property under consideration.(6) Can accommodate both small and large commercial loans for special purpose commercial properties (for example, loans as small as $100,000 and loans as large as $5 million or higher).Copyright 2005-2006 AEX Commercial Financing Group, LLC. All Rights Reserved.