Typical employers and typical workers are not quite sure how the new federal health care laws will affect their group health benefits.
Paul Fronstin of the Employee Benefit Research Institute (EBRI), Washington, has reported figures supporting that conclusion in a summary of results from two recent surveys.
One, a survey of 1,095 U.S. human resource professionals conducted in the summer of 2010, was organized by the Society for Human Resource Management (SHRM), Alexandria, Va.
The other survey, an EBRI survey, reached 4,508 privately insured U.S. adults ages 
21 to 64 and was conducted in August 2010.
EBRI and the SHRM organized the surveys to gauge worker and employer reactions to the Affordable Care Act, the legislative package that includes the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (PPACA).
Only 2% of the human resources professionals said the employers they work for will definitely drop health care coverage because of the effects of the Affordable Care Act, Fronstin says.
But only 46% of the employers are certain they will keep health coverage, and 53% said they are conducting an analysis of the effects of the act, will conduct an analysis later, or are unsure what they will do.
About 13% of the workers said it is "not very likely" or "not at all likely" that their employers will continue to provide health coverage once more of the Affordable Care Act takes effect in 2014. About 31% of the workers polled were "unable to say" whether their employers would continue to offer health benefits after 2014, and 32% said their employers were "likely to continue" offering health benefits. About 23% said their employers were "very likely to continue" health benefits.
When asked about knowledge of health reform, 55% of individuals said they were "not at all knowledgeable" or "not very knowledgeable" about the Affordable Care Act, and 52% of the HR professionals said they were not comfortable with their knowledge of the act.
Only 11% of the individuals said they expect the act to increase the cost of their health coverage.
About 64% of the HR professionals said they expect their companies to pass cost increases resulting from the act on to workers.
- Allison Bell
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