Though billed as the Affordable Care Act, there's a mounting amount of evidence suggesting that the employee benefits some business owners are required to supply their workers with may be cost-prohibitive for those whose earnings are meager.
Even though employers who have at least 50 full-time workers on their payroll are required to provide coverage that is within a person's price range, corporate consultants and policy experts tell The Associated Press that there are certain loopholes in the law that allow business owners to comply with the statutes of the ACA, but doing would still put the cost of coverage at too high a premium for those who make minimum wage.
Ron Pollack, president of the policy advocacy group Families USA – which is supportive of the ACA – noted that 100 percent accessibility may be an ideal that's incapable of being achieved.
"Some people may not gain the benefit of affordable employer coverage," Pollack told the AP. "It is an imperfection in the new law. [It is] a big step in the right direction, but it is not perfect, and it will require future improvements."
Shannon Demaree, head of actuarial services for consulting services firm Lockton, told the news agency that what the government is required – establishing coverage so that it's no more than 9.5 percent of an employee's income – is not something that their low-wage employees want. In other words, what the government considers to be low cost is often not reflective of what the consumer regards it as being.
The National Federation of Independent Business recently stated that a key component of determining the affordability of insurance premiums depends on the employee's gross income.
