debating obamacare
debating obamacare Businesses wonder what it all means By Ranna Abbo PRIVATE ROOM UP TO 60 PEOPLE Private Banquet Rooms Available, Specializing In All Occasions: • Small Weddings • Rehearsal Dinners • Bridal & Baby Showers • Communions • Baptisms & More SPECIALIZING IN ALL OCCASIONS: PRIVATE ROOMS AVAILABLE • BAPTISMS • COMMUNIONS • BRIDAL & BABY SHOWERS • REHEARSAL DINNERS... ETC. * MENTION THIS AD AND WE WILL WAIVE ROOM CHARGE The Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act, more commonly known as Obamacare, is one of the biggest changes to the healthcare system in U.S. history. But many people are still confused as to what it all means. “Most people don’t have a clue,” said Jim George, CEO of Trevco in Troy. “Even most professionals don’t fully understand it yet, not unless they study it, read it and pay attention.” The purpose of the Affordable Care Act is to get everyone in America covered by health insurance. Everyone from individuals to large corporations will be affected in some way. Obamacare has already caused plenty of controversy, particularly with its contraception mandate, which will expand health coverage to abortions just as pregnancies are covered. Although churches are exempt from the Affordable Care Act, religious institutions such as hospitals, schools and charities are not. Following outrage from some religious institutions last year, a oneyear extension to implement the contraception mandate was enacted, but that ends on August 1. The goal of the mandate is to reduce “unintended” pregnancies by 10 percent by 2020; about half of all U.S. pregnancies are considered “unintended.” “I think it’s regrettable that the Catholic institutions are having their belief system infringed upon,” said Omar Francis of Sterling Heights, an emergency medicine resident physician. “Even being objective about it, this mandate runs contrary to the constitution of this country guaranteeing religious freedom. If you are a practicing Catholic who does work for one of these institutions and once took comfort that their ideology matches your own, then you don’t even have that comfort anymore, because you know part of your paycheck is going to funding something you find morally objectionable.” Under Obamacare, businesses will also start seeing changes, although most won’t be enacted until 2014 through 2020. Many businesses will be mandated to provide insurance, or they’ll have to pay a penalty and have their employees get insurance on their own. The penalty is actually cheaper, said Trevco’s George, who provides health insurance through HAP to 40 employees. George said he plans to continue providing coverage to his employees because he values them. However, when looking at the savings of not providing health care, he believes many employers will be tempted to take the cheaper route. “The savings to cancel our coverage and pay a penalty would be more than 0,000,” he said. “As the cost of health care rises, it affects both the employer and the employee, because in an effort to keep it affordable, I have to increase the cost of co-pays, deductibles or prescriptions on the employees. And now we will be faced with additional costs and taxes being levied to help pay for Obamacare. Anyone who follows this knows that health insurance will cost more in the future, not less.” Most businesses have not yet faced the main aspects of the Affordable Care Act. The only provision enacted so far to affect employers is that they must disclose the value of the benefits they provide on employees’ annual W-2 forms. (Also, a 10 percent sales tax was imposed on indoor tanning.) Starting in 2014, all businesses with more than 50 employees will pay a ,000 annual penalty per employee if they don’t offer health insurance to their full-time workers. Supporters of Obamacare point to all the benefits individuals have already gained from the program. Dependents are now allowed to remain on their parents’ coverage until age 26. All children and many adults obamacare continued on page 30 28 CHALDEAN NEWS MAY 2013
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