it is likely not much will change with your plan. insurance plans that existed before the affordable care act (aca) are considered “grandfathered plans” and are not subject to reform. employer-based plans that change substantially must comply with the aca by instituting new insurance reforms such as not excluding individuals with pre-existing conditions and banning lifetime limits on coverage. beginning in 2015 businesses with 50 or more employees must make their plans affordable for their employees or face a penalty. if the monthly premiums cost more than 9. 5 percent of your income it is considered unaffordable. small businesses employing 50 or fewer people are still not required to offer insurance but they can continue to offer it if they currently do. alternatively they may also join their state’s health insurance exchange and purchase insurance through it. it is possible that the mix of new penalties and incentives under health reform will lead some employers to drop coverage altogether but it is very difficult to determine at this point whether this will occur and how many workers it may impact. if this does occur the good news is that there will be some new options as i mentioned previously for many more individuals—including expanded medicaid offerings and new marketplaces called health insurance “exchanges. ”
how will health reform affect employees who currently have insurance through their employer?