Employees unfazed by Congressional repeal of ACA

As the Senate GOP’s efforts to pass its healthcare plan have stalled and Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell has called for a vote to repeal the Affordable Care Act, most employees aren’t particularly worried about the ACA disappearing.

A solid majority of employees (61%) who get their health insurance from work surveyed by employee communication platform provider Jellyvision say they do not think an ACA repeal would have a major impact on them and their families. When Jellyvision broke down the poll results — which it commissioned from Harris Polls — by respondents’ political party affiliations, Republicans (68%) are more likely to believe that an ACA repeal would have no personal impact on them, compared to 55% of Democrats and 60% of Independents.

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A demonstrator in support of U.S. President Barack Obama's health-care law, the Affordable Care Act (ACA), holds up a "ACA is Here to Stay" sign after the U.S. Supreme Court ruled 6-3 to save Obamacare tax subsidies outside the Supreme Court in Washington, D.C., U.S., on Thursday, June 25, 2015. The U.S. Supreme Court upheld the nationwide tax subsidies that are a core component of President Barack Obama's health-care law rejecting a challenge that had threatened to gut the measure and undercut his legacy. Photographer: Andrew Harrer/Bloomberg

But at the same time, employees say they hope that key elements of the healthcare law will remain in place. For example, a solid 80% say they hope that coverage of pre-existing conditions will remain, 78% express a desire that free preventative care will remain covered, and 67% of respondents want coverage of adult children up to age 26.

Meanwhile, Jellyvision’s poll found a need for better benefits education and communication from employers when it comes to enrollment. The poll found that one in five employees often regret their benefit choices, and nearly half said that selecting a health plan is “always very stressful.” Additionally, 55% of employees said they would like more help from their employers when choosing a plan.

“Employers spend so much time putting together competitive benefits packages, but not enough time helping employees understand their options,” says Jellyvision CEO Amanda Lannert. “The challenge is most people don’t want education on these topics.”

But, she says, employees “respond best to plain-English communication that feels like they’re talking about benefits with a friend.”

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