With many political prognosticators and observers questioning whether the White House will delay the individual mandate now that business owners are required to make employee benefits available until January 2015, Republican leadership have made that inquiry as well in a formal letter sent to President Barack Obama.
House Majority Rep. John Boehner recently produced a letter that was sent to Obama, agreeing with the administration about the provisions of the health law being too onerous for business owners to adopt between now and January 2014. Thus, delaying the mandate was the right move.
GOP leaders say that what remains an issue is the continuation of the individual requirement that forces consumers to purchase coverage or be penalized.
"Your decision to delay one part of the law affecting employers and leave in place provisions regulating individual and family health care creates many new questions and concerns," Boehner wrote, which was co-signed by Reps. Eric Cantor, Kevin McCarthy, Cathy McMorris, Lynn Jenkins and seven other legislators within the House of Representatives. "Please … provide to Congress your justification for only delaying the employer mandate at this time and not the new mandate on individuals and families."
Detractors of the health reform law say that the delay serves as a microcosm of what's fundamentally at fault with the ACA – that it's too burdensome for business owners as well as consumers and was ultimately drafted too quickly, not taking into account the possible implications and obstacles once in place. Supporters say that all forms of legislation have their flaws, and the postponement will enable lawmakers to refine the bill so that it's easier to comply with the rules as currently constituted.
