IRS staffs up for Obamacare

The Internal Revenue Service (IRS) has 700 full-time staffers devoted to the implementation of the Affordable Care Act (ACA), and some pundits believe that number may grow to a minimum of 5,000 employees, according to a recent report in Forbes.

IRS’ new role will be to verify eligibility and monitor whether a business carries qualifying health coverage or remains exempt from the law’s penalties, Forbes reports.

The American Association of Family Physicians says the IRS’ role in implementing ACA will not involve physicians directly. And their oversight authority will not involve access to a physicians’ medical records as some news organizations implied.

Nonetheless, IRS will  administer 47 tax provisions related to ACA including “the right to levy a penalty against businesses and individuals who don’t provide or acquire insurance.”