How another Affordable Care Act delay could impact credit unions

by. Henry Meier

Like a kid who slides a bad test score in front of her father on a busy Monday morning hoping he won’t notice the mark, the Obama Administration announced more bad news on the rollout of Obamacare the day before Thanksgiving. No one releases good news the day before Thanksgiving. By the time America’s tryptophan induced slumber has worn off, we are off to battle the Black Friday crowds at the mall.

So, it’s worth reminding you on Monday morning that the government announced that it would be delaying for a year the inauguration of its website for the Small Business Health Options Program, which in the words of the Department of Health and Human Services “will help curb premium growth and spur competition based on price and quality” for small businesses.

What has always intrigued me most about the impact that Obamacare could have on credit unions is how much it would entice credit unions to nudge employees into government based exchanges. Credit unions are a unique industry in that the vast majority of employers are small businesses that offer health care to their employees. This also means that they are acutely aware of how expensive health care has become.

Small employers — defined as employers with either 50 or 100 or fewer employees depending on the state in which you live — who offer qualified health plans will be eligible for various tax credits to help cover the cost of health insurance premiums. Although these tax credits are still taking effect, an Internet-based SHOP exchange was supposed to allow individual businesses to shop and compare health care plans the same way as individuals are supposed to be able to.

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