Introduction
In the United States, a number of healthcare reforms are made to improve the conditions under which people can receive healthcare services and medical support, as well as employees can work and develop appropriate professional relationships with their employers. One of the modifications in the health law was the creation of the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (also known as the Affordable Care Act or ACA) by Barack Obama in 2010. The effects of this act varied and touched many groups of people in different ways. Though the employer market was retained, the presence of the employer mandate promoted considerable changes and a sustainable increase in part-time employment (Moriya, Selden, & Simon, 2016). The Affordable Care Act helps to identify responsibilities of all participants and tax provisions in regard to the number of their employees, the number of working hours, and the ability to offer health benefits to their workers; all these merits and demerits of the Act prove that one day employers can be in need of modifications such as the creation of risk corridors where the possibility to reduce penalties and taxes can be discussed.
General Aspects of the Law
The number of uninsured Americans was dramatically high because of existing economic changes and recessions at the beginning of the 2000s. Insurance markets had to undergo some interventions to stabilize the work of private and public sectors, and the ACA was the decision to solve these problems (Frean, Gruber, & Sommers, 2017). Its main goals were to make health insurance affordable to people, to expand the Medicaid program, and to promote innovative medical care through lowering costs (HealthCare.gov, n.d.). In addition to patients and employees who gained certain benefits with the ACA, employers turned out to be a group of people who had to meet new standards and requirements. Under the ACA, those people who have more than 50 full-time workers have to provide them with health insurance to cover at least 60% of healthcare expenses (Mulligan, 2015). If employees agree to part-time work, their healthcare insurance has to meet the equivalent of the working hours as well. These are the main conditions for the employer mandate.
Pros and Cons
Many Americans prefer to work legally because of the possibility to obtain healthcare insurance from their employers. As a rule, owners take responsibility for the development of special family health insurance plans and the choice of health care providers (Bailey & Chorniy, 2016). That is one of the main positive aspects of the ACA for both employers and employees. Both parties get some portion of stability and predictability. Not many people who have stable health coverage and support want to change their places of work because of the inability to be confident to get similar health insurance from another employer. Therefore, an obligatory provision of health insurance for employees is a chance for owners to hire professional people.
The presence of the current law in the healthcare system is also beneficial for the promotion of equality and trust in working relationship. Small business can use the Small Business Health Options Program marketplaces to cover health insurance expenses of their employees (Gabel, Stromberg, Green, Lischko, & Whitmore, 2015). At the same time, many employers are not satisfied with the obligations that cannot be broken or overcome. Not all people are eager to pay taxes regarding the number of workers they actually employ. Therefore, such cons as financial frauds, illegal work, and insignificant changes in plans promote the creation of new criminals in the healthcare and other systems.
Modifications
To deal with challenges and gain as many benefits as possible from the ACA, modifications can be offered to employers and other healthcare policymakers. For example, to avoid concerns, discontents, and doubts, special risk corridors can be created to limit potential losses and discuss all uncertainties concerning health statuses of their employees. These corridors may be used to invite new investors or controllers so that employers (in case of their unpreparedness or unwillingness) can deal with their own tasks and responsibilities, and specially trained people can substitute them with insurance work. Today, the representatives of Trump’s team start working on the modifications to eliminate penalties and remove control over the conditions under which full-time employees can get insurance. However, such modification is one-sided with no positive opportunities for others but employers. Unfair treatment and inequality can be re-born. It is not the goal that has to be achieved. The American law is the promotion of fair relationships between employers and employees. Therefore, it is better to begin with special risk corridors where all participants of a working process can identify their needs and recognize their abilities.
Conclusion
In general, the ACA, as well as other laws, prove that American society aims at changing and improving living and working conditions for all people. This country can be a good example for other nations on how to support its people. Despite the existing cons of the ACA, the number of its benefits prevails and encourages employers to provide their employees with insurance, financial support, and stability. The presence of risk corridors in terms of the ACA is a chance to modify the system and discover better aspects of collaboration.
References
Bailey, J., & Chorniy, A. (2016). Employer-provided health insurance and job mobility: Did the affordable care act reduce job lock? Contemporary Economic Policy, 34(1), 173-183.
Frean, M., Gruber, J., & Sommers, B. (2017). Premium subsidies, the mandate, and Medicaid expansion: Coverage effects of the affordable care act. Journal of Health Economics, 53, 72-86. Web.
Gabel, J. R., Stromberg, S. T., Green, M., Lischko, A., & Whitmore, H. (2015). An early look at SHOP marketplaces: Low premiums, adequate plan choice in many, but not all, states. Health Affairs, 34(5), 732-740.
HealthCare.gov. (n.d.). Affordable care act (ACA).Web.
Moriya, A. S., Selden, T. M., & Simon, K. I. (2016). Little change seen in part-time employment as a result of the affordable care act. Health Affairs, 35(1), 119-123.
Mulligan, C. B. (2015). The new full-time employment taxes. Tax Policy and Economy, 29(1), 89-132.