Two U.S. lawmakers have asked HHS Secretary Sylvia Matthews Burwell to “explore options to assist Medicaid dependent home and community-based providers” in fulfilling the employer requirements of the Affordable Care Act.
 
U.S. Rep. Ron Kind, R-Wis., and Sen. Tammy Baldwin, D-Wis., recently sent Burwell a letter saying the mandate will have a negative effect on those providers, who operate on slim margins and could face financial burden by complying with the mandate. The mandate, according to the letter, might lead to “unemployment and reduced patient access to essential services.”
 
An agency that has 100 or more full-time employees, including full-time equivalents (FTEs), will have to provide insurance coverage to 70% of full-time employees next year and to 95% of full-time employees in 2016. Agencies with 50 to 99 full-time employees or FTEs will have to cover 95% of full-time employees in 2016 but don’t have to provide health insurance next year (HHL 2/17/14).