Last week I attended to attend a healthcare reform seminar. During the seminar in the morning breakfast was served to everyone. I had a chance to sit next to the owner of a nursery business (for trees, not for kids) who employed 55 people. Off handedly, I asked him what he planned to do about implementing a plan for his employees because he was over the limit of employees.
Will he pay the fine, or offer insurance to his employees? He replied "We are going to fix that."This is a response I keep thinking about "We are going to fix that." Does he mean he will fire some of his employees until he is under the threshold? Will he cut back employees hours so they are no longer full-time?
This seems like a solution where no one gains. The employer loses some of his workforce, the employees lose their jobs, and the economy takes a blow with the loss of workers and money changing hands. You may be asking yourself "how will the economy be affected by the loss of just a handful of workers?" It is not just these nursery employees however.
This sentiment of cutting hours or laying-off workers is fairly widespread. The accumulated loss of workers across the country is where the trouble is presented. Where did this line of thinking come from? Is it financial worries for business? Is it based on political motivates against a law they do not like?
Was is bad advice from attorneys, accounts, agents and brokers in order to "beat the system"? I believe starting in 2014, employers will start to be fined because of bad advice, or they did not follow the advice from their agent and brokers. We will see these agents and brokers being fired or sued because of these problems.
It is more important than ever for all players to be educated and know how to do it right, especially when it comes to creative solutions to handling implementation of healthcare reform. The time is now to begin getting on top of their measurement periods. This "fix" is hardly a fix at all. There are ways to handle healthcare reform which are good for employers, employees, agents/brokers, and the economy.
About The Author
Jonathan Edelheit is the president of Free Health LLC, a leading US and International insurance and healthcare media company that specializes in "niche" industry health insurance, employee benefits and healthcare magazines. Under Free Health LLC, Mr. Edelheit is Editor-in-Chief of Benefits Live Magazine.
The magazine includes four industry-specific publications, including: Corporate Wellness Magazine, the only US and International magazine dedicated to health and wellness in the workplace, the Voluntary Benefits Magazine, the Self Funding Employer Healthcare and Workers Compensation Magazine, and the National Healthcare Reform Magazine, the only magazine dedicated to the newly implemented US Healthcare Reform Law.
