3 Employer Take-a-ways

The administration announced late Monday yet another change-up to one of the major focal points embedded in the Affordable Care Act  –  the employer mandate. Here are the three biggest aspects of the announcement that employers of all sizes need to know:

Employers with 100+ Employees

Employers with 100 or more workers will only have to cover 70% (down from 95%) of eligible employees in 2015 to avoid fines. The original 95% benchmark now goes into effect in 2016 and beyond.

Employers with 50 – 100 Employees

Employers in this category get a reprieve of sorts through 2015 as the mandate is delayed altogether for another year. As things stand today, they must begin offering coverage to eligible employees in 2016 in order to avoid fines associated with the new law.

Employers with fewer than 50 Employees

Under 50 employers (already exempt from the employer mandate to provide coverage) will now be exempt in 2015 and each year going forward from the reporting requirements they were subject to as originally outlined in the new law.

Despite speculation by many, as of yet there have been no changes or reprieves to the individual mandate that went into effect on January 1 of this year. It remains unchanged.

For more detailed information on Monday’s announcement see articles that appeared in the Washington Post and Fiscal Times

For an expert analysis, read Bob Laszewski’s piece at Health Care Policy and Marketplace Review.