Where Individuals and Employers Stand on the Health Reform Law

Two surveys by The New York Times and CBS News and the International Foundation of Employee Benefit Plans (IFEBP ) have revealed where both employers and the public stand regarding the healthcare reform law. While the fate of the controversial law will be determined by the Supreme Court by the end of June, The New York Times and CBS News survey shows where general voting public stands. According to the survey, 41 percent of the general public wants the entire law overturned, 27 percent want to see the individual mandate removed from the law, 24 percent want to keep the law as is, and 8 percent were undecided. All told, 68 percent of the survey participants want at least a portion of the legislation struck down.

The IFEBP poll obtained an overview of how employers feel about the law and whether it should be overturned. According to the survey, two-thirds of employers think that the individual mandate will be removed from the law while other parts will remain in force, 19 percent think that the entire law will be left intact, and 15 percent think that the individual mandate alone will be struck down.

As reported in the IFEBP survey, the top three reform provisions employers want to see reinstated if the entire law is found to be unconstitutional include: the ability to offer more wellness incentives (33 percent), that insurers cannot reject individuals with pre-existing conditions (23 percent), and the requirement allowing children to remain dependent until age 26. The top three for employees include: the requirement allowing children to remain dependent until age 26 (59 percent), that insurers cannot reject individuals with pre-existing conditions (34 percent), and the rule eliminating cost-sharing for preventative services (32 percent).