ACA mandates hit businesses

With the New Year comes a new round of Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act provisions set to take effect, including the employer mandate on large companies that has been delayed twice already.

Starting this year, businesses that employ 100 or more full-time workers will either comply with the mandate to provide health insurance coverage to at least 70 percent of their employees or face fines, according to California Healthline. In 2016, they will have to start offering coverage to 95 percent of their employees. Meanwhile, mid-size businesses with 50 to 99 full-time workers won’t face fines for failing to provide coverage until 2016.

GOP lawmakers are expected to continue their push to raise the mandate’s threshold for full-time workers from 30 to 40 hours a week; the House approved such a bill last April, but it failed to advance in the Democrat-controlled Senate.