The delay of the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act appears to be having its intended effects on business owners, as a new poll indicates that more company executives are in compliance with the law's requirements.
According to the survey, which was performed by interactive application platform provider Keas, of the 100 HR professionals that were questioned, nearly 60 percent indicated that they were confident they had achieved HR compliance with the ACA, which businesses won't be required to adhere to until January 2015.
"Enterprises are keeping a close eye on health reform policy," the report stated. "And a majority are well ahead of plans in preparing for these new requirements."
Josh Stevens, CEO for Keas, indicated that it's clear business owners see health management as a top priority in 2014, as doing so has an effect on overall employee productivity.
Even among those who have yet to achieve HR compliance, they expect to be at that position before January of next year, a statement agreed to by 74 percent of respondents. However, roughly four in 10 respondents said that they fear being flooded with questions from employees once the ACA is in effect, which may adversely impact company management.
Meanwhile, many employers have yet to communicate employee benefit changes to their workers, despite the marketplaces opening on Oct 1. In a separate poll performed by Research Now, close to 70 percent of workers said that they hadn't been informed of any changes made to their benefit packages.
Michael Zuna, executive vice president and chief marketing officer for the insurer that commissioned the poll, noted that this issue stems from many people having a limited understanding of the ACA.
"Over the next few months, these challenges will be exacerbated as employees may be more confused by changes in their policies, and face greater gaps in their health insurance coverage leaving them at risk."
