Beginning in 2014, the Affordable Care Act requires employers with more than 50 employees to offer minimal essential health coverage to employees or be subject to a penalty. Recently we asked employers whether they planned to continue to offer health benefit coverage to their employees once this requirement kicks in and close to 8,000 employers responded. Overwhelmingly (77 percent), employers plan to continue to offer health benefit coverage for employees.

More specifically:

• 51 percent will definitely continue to offer health benefit coverage
• 26 percent will likely continue to offer health benefit coverage
• 3 percent will likely discontinue health benefit coverage
• 1 percent will definitely discontinue or have already discontinued health benefit coverage
• 19 percent are unsure what they will do

While most employers responding to our survey are committed to continuing health benefit coverage for their employees in the future, 76 percent have already seen an increase in their organization’s health benefit costs or expect to see an increase in their costs as a result of the changes required by health care reform. Most employers (63 percent) plan to pass these increases on to employees.

Employers continue to look to their employee benefit adviser to guide them through this time of uncertainty.

• 88 percent say it’s important that their benefit adviser provides them with legislative updates to educate them on health care reform and its implications.
• 80 percent say it’s important that their benefit adviser helps to educate their employees on health care reform and its implications.
• 73 percent expect their benefit adviser to offer webinars on health care reform topics.

Make sure you’re the expert that leads the way for clients during this time of change. Broker Briefcase has all the tools you need to seize this opportunity. And be sure to watch out for the full 2012 Health Care Reform Survey results, which will be available in Broker Briefcase and your client portal in coming weeks.