Ever since its creation, the Affordable Care Act has been a divisive issue, with some championing the legislation and others decrying it as ineffective and out of step with free choice. Lawmakers on the right side of the aisle have even hinted at repealing the mandate should they have the votes.
If that comes to pass, though, many Americans would prefer that some of the law's provisions be upheld, a newly released survey suggests.
As it pertains to the employer mandate – requiring businesses to offer employee benefits to their full-time workers – nearly 80 percent of companies would maintain certain portions of the health care overhaul, according to a recent poll conducted by the International Foundation of Employee Benefit Plans. One of which is the provision that prevents insurers from taking pre-existing conditions into account. Nearly 40 percent of surveyed business said that this is something they think works and ought to be upheld.
Business supportive of mandate pertaining to young adult children
Another stipulation worthy of continuation regards family members. Approximately one-third of the survey respondents said they would maintain the requirement that allows adult children to remain on their parents' plans until they turn 26 years of age, the poll found.
Julie Stich, research director at the International Foundation, noted how even businesses who are opposed to the ACA agree that the law does have some redeeming qualities.
"Employers have seen certain ACA provisions have a positive impact on their workforce," Stich explained. "Mandates such as the elimination of preexisting condition exclusions and coverage of children until age 26 have allowed employees and their families to receive health care services that have made a positive impact on their physical, financial and emotional well-being."
Like the coverage, not the costs
As far as the actual coverage is concerned, a majority of Americans are satisfied with what they're receiving, based on a separate study recently released by the Kaiser Family Foundation. Slightly over two-thirds of individuals who bought health insurance through the federal or state marketplaces said they were pleased with how their plans were working for them.
At the same time, though, the cost of coverage has not been well received. The KFF poll found that satisfaction with monthly premiums has slipped consistently since 2014; at the time, 68 percent were satisfied but it has since fallen to 64 percent in 2015 and 59 percent this year.
Though the intention of the ACA, when signed into law by President Barack Obama, was to both lower the uninsured rate and enable more Americans to afford health insurance, the expense of medical treatment has prevented many people from seeking it. Around 33 percent of Americans say they or a family member have put off visiting a doctor due to costs, according to a Gallup poll conducted late last year. This includes serious health issues, with 1 in 5 indicating they'd delayed care for major health ailments.
Despite the cost and how ever the fate of the ACA plays out in the coming years, most employers have no intention of eliminating health care coverage for their full-time staff. Just 3 percent of businesses in the IFBP poll noted they were "unlikely" to still be offering employee benefits by 2021.
