Employer Survey: Obamacare Had Limited Effect On Hiring, Hours Practices

This photo taken Nov. 29, 2013 shows a part of the HealthCare.gov website, photographed in Washington. Even though the government’s health care website may be fixed, a new poll finds that President Barack Obama’s... This photo taken Nov. 29, 2013 shows a part of the HealthCare.gov website, photographed in Washington. Even though the government’s health care website may be fixed, a new poll finds that President Barack Obama’s insurance markets haven’t impressed most consumers. Although negative perceptions of the health care rollout have eased, a new Associated Press-GfK poll finds that two-thirds of Americans say things still aren’t going well. (AP Photo/Jon Elswick) MORE LESS
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Employers say that Obamacare had only a limited effect in their hiring and hours practices, according to a survey conducted by Kaiser Family Foundation/Health Research & Educational Trust.

The report released Tuesday — revealed that only four percent of the employers with 50 or more workers said they downgraded full-time employees to part-time employees in order to avoid the coverage requirements under the Affordable Care Act. Meanwhile 10 percent of the employers with 50 or more employees*​ boosted their part-time employees to full-time so the workers would be eligible for coverage. (The ACA requires employers with 100 more or more employees to provide coverage. That mandate will expand to include employers with 50-99 employees in 2016.)

Additionally, 5 percent of those employers said they reduced the number of employees they intended to hire because of the Obamacare coverage requirements while 2 percent increased waiting periods for workers because of the shared responsibility provision.

The findings undermine a common refrain expressed by Obamacare foes, who say the law will kill jobs and stunt economic growth.

The report did find that deductibles were on the rise since Obamacare’s enactment, increasing 67 percent since 2010 in terms of the share of workers with deductibles and the size of those deductibles.

While deductibles have spiked, the report said that premiums are rising at a rate similar to before the law was passed — 4 percent in the last year, compared to the average of 5 percent since 2005. Between 1999 and 2005 premiums rose an average of 11 percent annually.

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  1. Avatar for chammy chammy says:

    Shoots down another GOPer talking point lie.

  2. Avatar for ljb860 ljb860 says:

    Yep, never saw that coming…

    My oldest son has a small painting business in East TN and is rabid T’Party. Even before the employer option was available and even though he would never have had the requirement to provide HC for his % permanent people, he offered to pay 50% of any costs for each employee that would sign up for individual insurance. As he explained it, it was a simple business decision and allowed him to keep people around instead of having his best people leave for larger employers and their HC options. Ever since he has told me, his turnover has been zero and that when the season starts up each Spring and he must staff up, he has people calling him about openings. Seems just maybe they hear about an employer that is trying to look after his people.

  3. “Limited effect on hiring.” So, no big hiring bump. See, the GOP told us it would kill jobs. Right again!

  4. Don’t worry, the R’s will continue to loudly shout their misinformation and the media will not expose it for what it is, lies.

  5. Abso-frickin-lutely! Rick Santelli said so on CNBC so it must’ve be true :smirk:

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