Businesses may be able to put off providing health insurance to workers for one year without penalty, but employees counting on that coverage aren’t necessarily be left empty-handed in the meantime.
Federal health officials said Wednesday those uninsured employees – including potentially thousands in Georgia – will still be able to shop for health coverage on online health insurance marketplaces, called exchanges, that are expected to open Oct. 1.
They will also still be eligible for federal subsidies, if their incomes qualify, to help make that insurance affordable.
Under the Affordable Care Act, companies with 50 or more employees were supposed to offer affordable health coverage beginning next year or face a $2,000-per-employee penalty.
On Tuesday, the Obama administration postponed the requirement until 2015 to give businesses more time to comply. The delay will also allow time to simplify how companies must report new data required by the law, according to the White House.
“(The delay) doesn’t affect a lot of people,” said Gary Claxton, a vice president at the nonprofit Kaiser Family Foundation.
Roughly 95 percent of companies with 50 or more employees already offer health coverage, Claxton said. But not all employees can afford the coverage offered.
Under the law, if a worker’s employer offers coverage the government considers too expensive, the employee is potentially eligible for subsidies to buy help individual coverage on the new exchanges.
The government-run websites will allow consumers to compare prices and benefits of dozens of plans offered by private insurance companies. People with incomes up to 400 percent of the federal poverty level — about $94,200 for a family of four — will be eligible for financial help.
Federal officials said Wednesday the exchange websites are still on track to open this fall. Health policies bought through the sites take effect Jan. 1.
Consumers can begin exploring options on HealthCare.gov, although details on premium pricing and benefits for specific plans aren’t yet available.
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