Businesses Slow to Adopt Health-Care Reform Requirements

The Supreme Court's decision uphold the Affordable Care Act caused changes all Americans, but perhaps businesses most affected. New research, , has found that a majority of those businesses have not the steps necessary to meet the requirements of the law set to effect in 2014.

Businesses did not a decision on to do because they were waiting for the Supreme Court to rule the Affordable Care Act. that the law has been upheld, 40 percent of businesses said will begin taking action to become compliant. Another 16 percent said they will wait after the election in November to start changes.

The initial delay by employers now many businesses worrying about they need to do to comply the law. Almost half of the respondents said that the tax on high-cost plans set to go effect in 2018 is their top concern of new law. An additional 28 percent of respondents were worried the part of the law requiring employees working more than 30 hours a week to be eligible health-care coverage.

"Employers with large part- populations, such as retailers and health-care organizations, are faced the difficult choice of either increasing the number of employees eligible coverage, or changing their work strategy so that employees work fewer hours," said David Rahill, president of the health and benefits business human resources consulting firm Mercer, conducted the research. “With the average cost of health coverage now exceeding $10,000 employee, a big jump enrollment is not economically feasible many employers."

One way businesses are looking help with costs is by pursuing other health benefit management strategies. More half of the respondents to the survey said they would be pursuing strategies to keep costs down.

The information in this research was on a poll of more than 4,000 employees.


Adapted from: CNBC, July 11, 2012.