For the 27th time since the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act was signed into law, the legislation has been changed in a material way, this time postponing when companies will be required to make employee benefits available to their workers an additional year.
Without congressional authorization, President Barack Obama and his administration announced that medium-sized business owners – specifically those that have between 50 and 99 workers on staff – will not have to provide health insurance coverage for their workers until 2016.
When the ACA was first enacted in 2010, the employer mandate was supposed to go into effect in 2014. However, for the second time in less than 12 months, it's been delayed. The first pushed back the effective date to 2015, and this one to two years from now.
The announcement led to many reactions on Capitol Hill, chiefly among legislators who have long been opposed to the health care overhaul.
"If unilateral delays were an Olympic sport, the White House would sweep the gold, silver, and bronze," said Michigan Rep. Fred Upton, chairman of the House Energy and Commerce Committee, according to The Washington Post. "The White House is in full panic mode, and rather than putting politics ahead of the public, it is time for fairness for all."
Also commenting was House Speaker and Ohio Rep. John Boehner, who noted that because the employer mandate has been delayed, the individual should be as well.
"If the administration doesn't believe employers can manage the burden of the law, how can struggling families be expected to?" said Boehner in a statement. "This continued manipulation by the president breeds confusion and erodes Americans' confidence in him and his health care law."
Several trade associations issued statements following the latest delay, including the National Association of Manufacturers and National Restaurant Association, The Washington Post noted.
