Jones Day Hires Top IRS Counsel

March 5,2013

In an effort to aid clients who need advice on how to comply with the tax consequences of the Affordable Care Act, CAP Member, Jones Day has hired a former Internal Revenue Service health counsel who worked on many of the law's proposed IRS regulations.

Catherine Livingston, 47, joined the law firm as a partner in Washington on Friday. She is expected to help large employers understand and implement the proposed "pay or play" rule, which requires businesses to provide employees with healthcare coverage or pay a penalty.

Livingston, who helped craft the rule, said she will aid companies weigh the costs associated with providing employees with healthcare coverage versus the costs of paying a penalty that would trigger government-provided health coverage. The rule was proposed by the IRS in December and is expected to be finalized by January 2014.

Livingston also said she will advise healthcare insurers on a newly proposed annual tax, called the "Health Insurers Providers Fee," which is slated to take effect in 2014 and generate more than $15 billion a year for the government.

James Dutro, the firm's healthcare practice leader, said he intends to hire additional healthcare lawyers in Houston, Dallas and Atlanta to advise clients in compliance issues related to the Affordable Care Act.

-Courtesy, Thomson Reuters