Will Employers Continue to Offer Health Care?

Today, the question of whether or not employers will continue to offer health care plans is up in the air. At this point, too many factors remain undecided. This includes the current legislation passed in order to create health care reform. However, statistics show the employers are voicing their concerns about whether or not they will be able to afford the costs associated with providing their employees and their families with coverage.

Uncertainty is a major concern for most employers. Many are hesitant to commit themselves to offering health care plans in the future because they have no idea what that will truly entail. It could mean policing employees to make sure that they are insured. It may mean setting up a system of financial calculations to make sure that they are within the guidelines that have been established. At this point, no one can be sure about what the future holds.

The job market just isn’t what it used to be. Employers don’t seem to be hiring as much as they were in the past. Some speculate that health care plans and their potential complications in the future are preventing employers from hiring the people they need. It tends to be a circle in which employers aren’t hiring because of their financial fears and more individuals are out looking for work because of their financial concerns. Where that cycle ends, no one knows.

In order to be able to offer health insurance to employees, there is a chance that the employees themselves will have to foot more of the bill. This has been the case for the past couple of years and employees have continued to pay higher premiums and then pay more for each office visit, prescription and even specialist’s diagnosis. Employees may choose to seek out their own health insurance independently or give up on the concept all together. (It is important to note that according to the health care reform legislation, those individuals could pay a fine for choosing to not insure themselves.)

Because a majority of people do depend on their employers for health care benefits, if this became a thing of the past, a serious meltdown within the insurance industry is possible. Just like offering health insurance to employees becomes a financial decision with employers, individuals will have to determine what they can and cannot afford when it comes to coverage.

For now, few business owners are making any decisions. Like many people today, they are forced to sit back and wait to see what the future holds. Some hang tightly to the traditions of the past and hope that things will remain the same. Others have concerns about what will be on the horizon for both their companies and their employees in the near future. Unfortunately, at this time, there are no clear answers about whether or not employers will be able to continue to offer health insurance benefits to their employees in the upcoming years. Everyone will have to be patient and await the outcome.

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Zoe is an ardent blogger and freelance writer from the UK, and she loves to share her health and legal knowledge through content on the internet. Feel free to tweet your thoughts on this article to @bloggingstyle.