According to a recent survey by the International Foundation of Employee Benefit Plans, 84% of U.S. employers report they are very likely to or definitely will continue to provide health insurance for full-time employees after state exchanges open in 2014, in accordance with the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act.
The post-election survey, administered last week, got responses from 593 plan administrators, trustees and organizational representatives from a wide range of companies in terms of size, sector and region.
A similar survey, conducted by IFEBP after the Supreme Court’s PPACA-upholding ruling in June, also revealed a majority committed to continuing employer-sponsored health plans, but nearly three-fourths at that time said they were in a “wait and see” mode in terms of health care planning until after the elections. This month, 59% say they are confident in being more definitive about maintaining coverage.
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Seventy-seven percent of respondents state they are well along in terms of keeping up with PPACA provisions, and 60% say they are either very or extremely far along in preparing for future ones.
The biggest reasons IFEBP members cite for maintaining coverage in 2014 are:
• To maintain/increase employee satisfaction and loyalty (40%).
• To retain current employees (24%).
• To keep in line with a collective bargaining agreement (21%).
Among employers’ other PPACA-related plans, IFEBP finds most companies, for the most part, aren’t dramatically adjusting hiring plans for the next two years, as 48% report they have no plans to add or reduce workforce. A much smaller percentage will reduce staff due to PPACA costs (11%), reduce hiring to stay under the 50-employee PPACA threshold (5%) or