Affordable Care Act – Short Term Pain for Long Term Gain?

Both human resource professionals and healthcare providers are grappling with the immediate compliance issues associated with the Affordable Care Act, even as the rules continue to evolve.  Practitioners on both sides of this equation are also contemplating the longer term cost and management implications of the Act.   Despite, or perhaps because of all the press that the ACA receives, there is still plenty of confusion about what the Act really means for employers and healthcare providers.

In order to shed some light on how practitioners are gearing up for the ACA, I spoke with our  board member, Dr. Tim Porter O’Grady and Kronos Senior Director Jim Rowe. Tim has been involved in health care for 40 years and has held roles from staff nurse to senior executive in a variety of health care settings.  Jim Rowe is the Senior Director of Total Rewards at Kronos.  Both are deeply embroiled in the practical implications of implementing the ACA, on both the employer side as well as the healthcare delivery side of the equation.  And both agree that while there should be long term benefits for Americans in the form of more comprehensive, economical and effective healthcare, there are also plenty of short term challenges to enacting the law.

You can listen to a podcast of our discussion of the following questions at:  Tim Porter OGrady and Jim Rowe Discuss the ACA 1.20.14.

• There has been a lot of confusion around ACA with the push back of the employer mandate to 2015. But many of the provisions of the Act are already the law.  What are some of the common misconceptions about compliance?
• What are some of the challenges that HR leaders  are already facing with regard to complying with the ACA?
• What are some of the challenges that the healthcare community is facing in regards to ACA compliance?
• The ACA will effect organizations of all sizes, but it will have a significant impact on smaller businesses that may not historically have had to offer health benefits. What do you think are some of the top concerns for smaller businesses – and why?
• How do you see growing healthcare costs impacting talent acquisition and employee retention?

 What about you?  How is your organization preparing for the ACA?

Other Relevant Posts:

The Affordable Care Act Isn’t a Benefits Change – It’s a Culture Change

Engaging Health Reform

Part Time Workers Confused by the Affordable Care Act