Benefits April 7, 2017

Employers Mostly Pleased Health Reform Didn’t Pass

Although some industry experts noted that the bill would reduce employer costs and administrative burdens, a survey finds the majority of employers were relieved it didn’t pass.
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The American Health Care Act (AHCA) was pulled by the House because not enough votes would have been garnered to pass the bill.

Although some industry experts noted that the bill would reduce employer costs and administrative burdens, a new survey finds the majority of employers were relieved it didn’t pass.

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Mercer surveyed 509 health care benefits professionals during a webcast and found 24% of employers are ‘very relieved’ the ACHA didn’t pass, and 32% indicated they were relieved it didn’t pass. Only 21% were disappointed or very disappointed it didn’t pass, while 23% expressed no opinion.

The professionals were also asked to rate what policymakers’ priorities should be when it comes to health care on a scale from one to five, with five being a top priority. Results included:

  • Reduce pharmacy cost = 4.4;
  • Improve price transparency for medical services/devices = 4.1;
  • Stabilize individual market = 4.0;
  • Maintain Medicaid funding = 4.0; and
  • Invest more in population health and health education = 3.7.

Mercer says, “Policymakers should view this health reform ‘reboot’ as an opportunity to partner with American businesses to drive higher quality, lower costs, and better outcomes for all Americans.”

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