The Affordable Care Act (ACA) will bring profound changes to health benefits in 2015, according to a statement by Ben Geyerhahn, CEO and Founder of BeneStream. Coverages mandated by the ACA go into effect on January 1. There is also the requirement that companies with 100 or more employees must offer health benefits to all full-time staff under the employer mandate.
The employer mandate will affect the working poor the most. This year the working poor are being offered a range of options by employers, which means that many will have health insurance for the first time in 2015. However, any additional cost to the monthly budget is more than many can afford. That’s why 29 states passed Medicaid expansion. Because of the expansion, Medicaid now covers up to 138% of the poverty rate, which is $32,900 in income per year for a family of four.
With the exchanges, access to health insurance means more preventative care versus emergency care. More people have health insurance upon arrival to the emergency room, which lowers costs. With the employer mandate taking effect, these factors will continue to improve.
However, full-time employees who have been getting health insurance are likely to have fewer plan options than in previous years, and those options will come with narrower networks. Many employees will see higher monthly premiums with higher deductibles along with a smaller range of in-network doctors. And some plans no longer cover out of network doctors.
Also, family coverage will evaporate for many this year. Families can go to the exchange to get the remaining members covered while some may qualify for the Children’s Health Insurance Program (CHIP).
