A new poll indicates that health care providers have decidedly mixed feelings on the Affordable Care Act and whether they think it will be a favorable development for the industry and Americans over the long run.
The survey, which was performed by program management firm Mortensen Construction, found that approximately nine in 10 health care providers thought the ACA was a "step forward" in terms of improving coverage availability and treatment services.
At the same time, though, most thought that the reform law in its current form could use a major overhaul. More than 85 percent of respondents said that it needed substantial changes or revisions before it could be considered a net positive for consumers.
"The healthcare market is in the process of adapting to a new normal," said Bob Nartonis, senior vice president and national health care market leader at Mortenson. "Many institutions are rethinking their basic assumptions regarding how they should operate going forward, understanding that there are new rewards for those who can successfully adapt and unwanted consequences for those who cannot."
The ease with which companies can adapt to a new health care environment – or lack thereof – may help explain why large employers aren't required to provide employee benefits to their workers until 2016, as the White House announced in February that the employer mandate was being delayed once again.
Once the ACA is fully established, approximately 83 percent of health care providers believer that it will be good for Americans, the poll found.
Consumers aren't as optimistic. More than 50 percent of participants in a Gallup poll said they were opposed to the ACA, roughly in line with where sentiment was in November.
