Health care and the future of the Affordable Care Act (ACA) have been defining issues for presidential candidates this election season. A new report from the International Foundation of Employee Benefit Plans finds that if ACA is repealed, just over three in four employers (78%) would keep in place at least some of the provisions they have already implemented in their health plans.

Employers also report a wide range of provisions they would like to see reinstated in new legislation if ACA is repealed, with the top being elimination of preexisting condition exclusions, coverage of adult children to age 26 and increased wellness incentives. These are similar to the top ACA provisions employers believe their employees want to keep.

[Related: The Effects of ACA on Medical Expense Accounts (HSAs, FSAs and HRAs)]

“Employers have seen certain ACA provisions have a positive impact on their workforce,” explained Julie Stich, CEBS, research director at the International Foundation. “Mandates such as the elimination of preexisting condition exclusions and coverage of children until age 26 have allowed employees and their families to receive health care services that have made a positive impact on their physical, financial and emotional well-being.”

When asked whether they would like to see ACA repealed entirely, 35% were in favor, 44% were opposed and 20% were unsure.  If ACA is repealed, a majority of employers predict a new health care reform bill being passed within the next four years if ACA.

2016 Employer-Sponsored Health Care: ACA’s Impact is the seventh survey in a series on how corporate health benefit plans are being affected by the Affordable Care Act. Survey responses were received from human resources and benefits professionals representing a wide base of U.S. employers from nearly 20 different industries and range in size from fewer than 50 to more than 10,000 employees.

Read the full report at www.ifebp.org/ACA2016.

Brenda Hofmann
Senior Communications Associate at the International Foundation