While much of employers' attention surrounding the Affordable Care Act (ACA) has been on compliance, an important piece that HR and benefits professionals can't overlook is employee education.

This is especially true when it comes to the 1095 form, which includes important information about health care coverage offered and/or provided by employers to their employees. The 1095 may be used by the IRS to determine if an employee is subject to fines under the individual mandate and/or to determine an employee's eligibility for a subsidy to help pay for health care.

January 2017 will mark only the second time that employees will receive a 1095, so it should be expected that many don't yet understand the importance of this form. And, since the IRS stated that filing extensions will not be granted to employers this year, employees will be receiving 1095s by January 31 – the same time frame that various other tax forms will arrive. These factors create a scenario that's ripe for confusion.