Alcoa Sees $80M Charge for ObamaCare

NEW YORK (TheStreet) -- Alcoa (AA) said it expects to take an $80 million charge to cover costs associated with new health care legislation, according to a filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

Here is an excerpt about the charge from the filing:

"On March 23, 2010, the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (the "PPACA") was signed into law, and, on March 30, 2010, the Health Care and Education Reconciliation Act of 2010 (the "HCERA" and, together with PPACA, the "Acts"), which makes various amendments to certain aspects of the PPACA, was signed into law. The Acts effectively change the tax treatment of federal subsidies paid to sponsors of retiree health benefit plans that provide prescription drug benefits that are at least actuarially equivalent to the corresponding benefits provided under Medicare Part D.

The federal subsidy paid to employers was introduced as part of the Medicare Prescription Drug, Improvement, and Modernization Act of 2003 (the "MPDIMA"). Alcoa has been receiving the federal subsidy since the 2006 tax year related to certain retiree prescription drug plans that were determined to be actuarially equivalent to the benefit provided under Medicare Part D. Under the MPDIMA, the federal subsidy does not reduce an employer's income tax deduction for the costs of providing such prescription drug plans nor is it subject to income tax individually.

Under the Acts, beginning in 2013 an employer's income tax deduction for the costs of providing Medicare Part D-equivalent prescription drug benefits to retirees will be reduced by the amount of the federal subsidy. Under U.S. GAAP, any impact from a change in tax law must be recognized in earnings in the period enacted regardless of the effective date. As a result, management expects to recognize a noncash charge of approximately $80 million in the quarter ended March 31, 2010 for the write-off of deferred tax assets to reflect the change in the tax treatment of the federal subsidy. "

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