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W W W. M A I N E B I Z . B I Z 27 S E P T E M B E R 2 1 , 2 0 1 5 "I've had conversations with people who said they would just take the fi ne and send employees to the exchange, because it's less expensive to do that," says Dugal. Looking for loopholes ere are concerns, too, about what companies might do to avoid the higher costs. " ere was a worry that more employers might move some of their workforce to part-time so they wouldn't have to off er insurance," says Brostek. " at has not been borne out. ere's national data that there hasn't been an increase in the number of part-time employees since this passed, and I suspect that's true in Maine." According to the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities report from January, "Recent data provide scant evidence that health reform is causing a sig- nifi cant shift toward part-time work, contrary to the claims of critics," adding that, nationwide, fewer than one-half of 1% of employees work 30 to 34 hours a week for employers that don't off er insurance. But the U.S. Chamber of Commerce argues that the employer mandate could aff ect full-time hires, because it links the penalty to the number of full- time employees. Dugal agrees with the latter assessment. "It suppresses a lot of job growth, based on the fact that people are concerned they would pay these additional fees," Dugal says. at, on top of other workforce changes on the horizon, including movement toward a minimum and overtime pay hikes, is adding pressure for small business owners, he says. "People are making decisions," Dugal says. " e number of jobs available in the future are based on all of these calculations to keep employee numbers under the threshold. at will be with us a very long time, especially in our industry." e association would like to see the mandate kick in at 100 employees, rather than 50, Dugal says. "In Maine, going from 50 to a hundred employees would eliminate a lot of employers from having to provide health insurance to their employees," he says. Companies with 50 to 99 employees might also face challenges with new pricing restrictions under the small-group community rating system, says O'Donovan at Eaton Peabody. Insurers can no longer use health status or gender to modify prices, although other factors such as tobacco use are still in place. at means some small groups might see their rates go up, while others go down. Up to now, this might have only aff ected employers of fewer than 50, because they constituted the defi nition of "small group." But beginning in 2016, the defi nition is expanding to employers with 50-99 employees, so the new pricing restrictions could aff ect them as well. While small employers of fewer than 50 FTEs don't have to provide insurance, they now have a new option should they choose to do so: the Small Business Health Options Program. In addition, employers with fewer than 25 FTEs, with average annual wages of less than $50,000, may be eligible for the Small Business Health Care Tax Credit, if they cover at least 50% of their full- time employee's premium costs. Small employers who provide coverage must report the cost of coverage. According to the Kaiser Family Foundation, in 2013, 34% of the 29,171 fi rms in Maine with fewer than 50 FTEs off ered health insurance. Brostek says some small employers who are not required to off er health coverage can now aff ord it. "Before the ACA," she says, "they struggled with costs and struggled to be able to provide compre- hensive coverage. ey often off ered plans with high deductibles because it was all they could aff ord. Many have decided to send their employees to the indi- vidual marketplace instead, to take advantage of the tax credits, and sometimes they've even given them a pay increase or stipend to compensate them for their premium. at's a change we've seen in Maine with small employers." L S , a w r i te r ba s e d i n B a s s Ha r bo r, c a n b e r e a c h e d a t @ . A healthy smile is a powerful thing. It deserves Delta Dental, the nation's leading dental benefits provider. With the largest network of dentists nationwide, quick answers and personalized service, we make it easy to protect your smile and keep it healthy. www.NortheastDeltaDental.com There was a worry that more employers might move some of their There was a worry that more employers might move some of their There was a worry that more employers might move some of their There was a worry that more employers might move some of their There was a worry that more employers might move some of their There was a worry that more employers might move some of their There was a worry that more employers might move some of their There was a worry that more employers might move some of their There was a worry that more employers might move some of their There was a worry that more employers might move some of their There was a worry that more employers might move some of their There was a worry that more employers might move some of their There was a worry that more employers might move some of their There was a worry that more employers might move some of their workforce to part-time so they wouldn't have to offer insurance. workforce to part-time so they wouldn't have to offer insurance. workforce to part-time so they wouldn't have to offer insurance. workforce to part-time so they wouldn't have to offer insurance. workforce to part-time so they wouldn't have to offer insurance. workforce to part-time so they wouldn't have to offer insurance. workforce to part-time so they wouldn't have to offer insurance. workforce to part-time so they wouldn't have to offer insurance. workforce to part-time so they wouldn't have to offer insurance. workforce to part-time so they wouldn't have to offer insurance. workforce to part-time so they wouldn't have to offer insurance. workforce to part-time so they wouldn't have to offer insurance. workforce to part-time so they wouldn't have to offer insurance. That has not been borne out. — Emily Brostek, Consumers for Affordable Health Care

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