2019 PCOR Fee Increase

For 2019, the annual fee to fund the federal Patient-Centered Outcomes Research Institute (PCORI), paid by employers that sponsor self-insured health plans and by commercial group health insurance providers, will go up by about .06 cents per employee or dependent enrolled in the health plan. The fees are due by July 31. The chart below shows the fees to be paid in 2019, which rose slightly from the fees owed in 2018.

For self-funded plans, the self-insured employer is responsible for submitting the fee and accompanying paperwork to the IRS. PCOR fees are reported on IRS Form 720, Quarterly Federal Excise Tax Return. On page two of Form 720, under Part II, the employer needs to designate the average number of covered lives under its applicable self-insured plan. Although the fee is paid annually, employers should indicate on the Payment Voucher (720-V)—located at the end of Form 720—that the tax period for the fee is the second quarter of the year. Failure to properly designate ‘2nd Quarter’ on the voucher will result in the IRS’s software generating a tardy filing notice.

Sponsors of self-insured health plans will pay their last PCOR fee by July 31, 2019 (for calendar-year plans) or by July 31, 2020 (for certain non-calendar year plans). The PCOR fee will no longer apply for policy and plan years ending on or after Oct. 1, 2019. The final filing for a calendar year plan will be July 31, 2019, with respect to the 2018 plan year.

Clients who have elected to have Diversified Group assist with the PCOR fee calculation can expect an email in June which will include a copy of the completed Form 720 and a PCOR calculation worksheet with supporting documentation. Clients will need to file the Form 720 by July 31, 2019.