Since the Affordable Care Act was signed into law in 2010 and the first open enrollment period launched in October, consumers and entrepreneurs have done their best to adapt to the new health care system in place. And while the employer mandate portion of the ACA is not fully in effect – at this point, not until 2015 – the changes are so substantial that small business owners ought to be given. As such, the health reform law should be pushed back an additional year, Pennsylvania's insurance chief recently stated and advised.
Michael Consedine, Pennsylvania insurance commissioner, has requested that the federal government – more specifically, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services – delay the the employee benefits provision until 2016, The Morning Call reported, mainly because the costs companies are due to experience will be too onerous.
The letter, which was obtained by The Morning Call newspaper, informed legislators that the higher costs would not just be evident among insurers that operate on the exchanges, but also those that are off-exchange.
When the ACA was signed into law four years ago, one of its tenets required business owners who employ more than 50 workers to offer health benefits to staff members, provided they're full-time. Those who don't comply with this mandate could be fined several thousand dollars for each employee that's not given this opportunity.
"Higher costs would be forced upon small businesses that purchase health insurance regardless of whether they participate in the [Small Business Health Options] program," stated Consedine in the letter to HHS. "The increased costs would be spread across issuers' small employer pools."
Melissa Fox, spokesperson for HHS, indicated that a final decision on the matter should be handed down at any time, most likely taking place next week, The Morning Call reported.
HealthCare.gov to be revamped
In the meantime, HealthCare.gov – the federal exchange website that some employers have directed their workers to in order to learn more about the ACA – is undergoing a major upgrade, aimed at making the buying experience more seamless for consumers and employers.
The Wall Street Journal reported that with the next open enrollment period scheduled for mid-November, exchange officials want to make sure that what happened last year doesn't occur again, as the website caused a lot of frustration for enrollees around the nation due to technical glitches and system overload.
"We're all going to be nervous until Nov. 15," said Shaun Greene, COO of Utah-based health insurance provider that participates in the federal health marketplace. "There is no wiggle room. They're on a very tight time frame."
Some of the changes that are being made include the application enrollees uses to sign up for coverage, a new comparison tool that allows individuals to contrast plan types among insurers participating, as well as some of the explanations that website visitors can access to learn more about the ACA, the national newspaper revealed from a meeting the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services had with insurers in May.
