The Obama administration will delay a crucial
\nprovision of its signature health-care law, giving businesses an extra year to
\ncomply with a requirement that they provide their workers with insurance. <\/p>\n
The government will postpone
\nenforcement of the so-called employer mandate until 2015, after the
\ncongressional elections, the administration said. Under the
\nprovision, companies with 50 or more workers face a fine of as much as $3,000
\nper employee if they do not offer affordable insurance. <\/p>\n
It is the latest setback for a
\nhealth-care law that has met resistance from Republicans. Republican-controlled
\nlegislatures and governors in several states have refused funding to expand
\nMedicaid coverage and declined to set up exchanges where
\nindividuals can buy insurance, opting to go with the federal government’s plan rather than creating their own. <\/p>\n
The delay in the employer
\nmandate addresses complaints from business groups about the burden of the law’s reporting requirements. <\/p>\n
“The administration has finally
\nrecognized the obvious—employers need more time and clarification of the rules
\nof the road before implementing the employer mandate,” Randy Johnson, a senior
\nVice President at the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, the nation’s largest business
\nlobby, said in an email. <\/p>\n
Valerie Jarrett, a senior Obama
\nadviser, said in a blog post announcing the move that the administration
\ndecided on the delay so officials could simplify reporting requirements and
\ngive employers a chance to adjust their health-care coverage. <\/p>\n
Congressional Elections<\/font><\/b><\/p>\n The 2010 Patient Congressional elections will The White House had been in “As we implement this law, we Reporting Burden<\/font><\/b><\/p>\n The employer mandate imposes extensive reporting According to a White House fact The officials said the decision Wise Decision<\/font><\/b><\/p>\n Neil Trautwein, Vice President and Employee It could lead companies to “The administration is Tim Taft, President and Chief “The delay affords us what is 200,000 Employers<\/font><\/b><\/p>\n Former White The provision only applies to “We need to look for 2020 The law has had opposition So far only 16 states have agreed to Congressional Republicans, who This is not the first time the law has been scaled back. In March, it was decided that small businesses would not be able to give their workers a choice of health plans in exchanges set up just for The Obama administration will delay a crucial provision of its signature health-care law, giving businesses an extra year to comply with a requirement that they provide their workers with insurance. The government will postpone enforcement of the so-called employer mandate until 2015, after the congressional elections, the administration said. Under the provision, companies with 50<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":[],"featured_media":0,"template":"","categories":[21],"class_list":["post-6893","articles","type-articles","status-publish","hentry","category-business-managment"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\n
\nProtection and Affordable Care Act allows the Obama administration to set the starting date for the information-reporting requirement that is key to
\nenforcing the mandate that companies cover their workers. While the White House
\nhad not yet announced a date, enforcement of the mandate had been widely
\nexpected to begin in 2014, an official said.<\/span> <\/p>\n
\ntake place in November of next year, and the delay potentially shields
\nDemocratic candidates from a backlash generated by the additional regulations
\non employers. <\/p>\n
\ndiscussions with business groups over complaints about the reporting
\nrequirements and believes it can simplify the process, two officials said. <\/p>\n
\nhave and will continue to make changes as needed,” Jarrett said in her blog
\npost. “In our ongoing discussions with businesses we have heard that you need
\nthe time to get this right.” <\/p>\n
\nrequirements on businesses, including the
\nmonths during which each employee and any of the employee’s dependents was
\ncovered by health insurance, the official said. The Business Roundtable said in
\na June 11, 2012 comment letter that reporting requirements would demand
\n“substantial changes in administrative procedures and reprogramming of
\nrecordkeeping systems.” <\/span><\/p>\n
\nsheet, more than 96% of companies with at least 50 employees already offer
\nhealth insurance to their employees. <\/p>\n
\nstemmed from a commitment in the administration to reduce regulatory red tape and
\ndrew parallels to a move earlier this year to cut the length of application
\nforms for insurance provided through government-sponsored exchanges from 21 pages to 3. <\/p>\n
\nBenefits Counsel for the National Retail Federation, called the move “an
\nunexpected but extraordinarily wise decision.” <\/p>\n
\ndelay their own decisions on whether to offer coverage to all their workers,
\nTrautwein said. <\/p>\n
\ncertainly encouraging employers to continue and expand offerings,” he said.\n <\/p>\n
\nExecutive Officer of Fiesta Restaurant Group Inc. (FRGI), reacted to news of
\nthe delay in a phone interview: “Hooray,” he said. “That’s so huge.” <\/p>\n
\nreally needed, which is time to get our heads and minds around how this is
\ngoing to work,” Taft said. <\/p>\n
\nHouse health policy adviser Ezekiel Emanuel, now Vice Provost at the University
\nof Pennsylvania, said on MSNBC’s Morning Joe that the delay of implementation
\nof the employer mandate will impact a limited number of companies. <\/span><\/p>\n
\nemployers who have 50 or more employees, Emanuel said. He estimated that there
\nare 200,000 total employers in the U.S. impacted and that “94% already offer
\nhealth insurance” to employees. <\/p>\n
\nrather than moment to moment for changes in the system,” Emanuel said. <\/p>\n
\nfrom Republicans all along and only passed Congress with Democratic votes and was later challenged before the U.S. Supreme Court. <\/p>\n
\nset up the new exchanges, or marketplaces to sell insurance to people who do
\nnot get it at work. Twenty-four states have refused to expand Medicaid, as
\ncalled for under the law, according to Kathleen Sebelius, Obama’s Secretary of
\nHealth and Human Services. <\/p>\n
\nhave vowed to try to repeal the law, have refused funding requests for about $1
\nbillion more to help enact the statute and ensure it runs smoothly. Instead,
\nthey have started multiple investigations into the implementation. <\/p>\n
\nthem. In January, a plan to create new nonprofit insurers in states was
\ncurtailed after Congress capped funding for the companies. This law’s path has been complicated and more changes are sure to be on the horizon.<\/span> <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"