Essay On Employers And The Affordable Healthcare Act

Olson-Urtecho, Natalia. "OP-ED: SBA offers employers help navigating Affordable Care Act - York Dispatch."Home - York Dispatch. N.p., 23 Aug. 2013. Web. 9 Oct. 2013. <http://www.yorkdispatch.com/ci_23925689/op-ed-sba-offers-employers-help- navigating-affordable>.
This article was written by Natalia Olso-Urtecho who is the regional administrator for the Small Business Administration in the Mid-Atlantic region. The article reported that small business owners will benefit more from the Affordable Care Act. Starting January 2014, small businesses with up to 50 full-time employees will be able to acquire health insurance through online health insurance market called SHOP. This means that small business owners will be in a position to compare and select the health insurance schemes that best fit their employees. As envisaged, the number of people accessing health insurance is bound to increase through the Affordable Care Act. The writer simply reports on the policies that are in place in regard to the implementation of the Affordable Care Act and the Small Businesses Association (SBA) for which she works. This source shows that the Affordable Care Act has considered the interest of the private employers by giving them more choices for health insurance schemes for their employees. Linda J. Blumberg, Matthew Buettgens, Judith Feder, and John Holahan (2012) Why Employers Will Continue to Provide Health Insurance: The Impact of the Affordable Care Act. Inquiry: Summer 2012, Vol. 49, No. 2, pp. 116-126.
Three of the researchers in this study are all serving at the Health Policy Centre of the Urban Institute. These are Linda Blumberg- a senior fellow, Matthew Buettgens- a senior research associate and John Holahan- a director at the institute. Judith Feder is a professor of public policy at Georgetown University. The study reported that there will be a no “win-win” situation where employer-sponsored healthcare coverage courtesy of the Affordable Care Act (ACA) is left intact as employees enjoy a more comprehensive health insurance covers. According to the study, employer-sponsored coverage will remain the primary source of coverage for many employees. Contrary to expectations, many employees will continue to rely on the health insurance covers offered to them by their employers. As such the burden of providing insurance cover will rest on the employers and this will impact on the fundamental economics of competitive markets. These researchers reported their findings after investigating the impacts on whether the introduction of the ACA will affect employer’s provision of health insurance. The report shows that employers will continue to shoulder the burden of health insurance for their employees and that few employees will actually take up health insurance on their own through the ACA initiatives.