The Affordable Care Act Repeal and Replace – Any Mention of Workers Comp?
The Affordable Care Act Repeal and Replace is now working its way through Congress, Senate, and President. Last week’s WCRI meeting showed the Work Comp community’s concern over any Federalization of Workers Compensation (c).
Former Senator Tom Coburn and former House Member Henry Waxman both reiterated what most of the Federal Government confirmed in any meeting. The Feds are not that concerned over Work Comp. I think one of the two said “There are bigger fish to fry.”
I carried the inquisitiveness of the WC community when I read the two current pieces of legislation that are on the table. By the time I finish this article, another version will likely be in play.
Both versions are below:
- Budget Reconciliation Legislative Recommendations Relating to Repeal and Replace of the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act
- SUBTITLE _ — REPEAL AND REPLACE OF HEALTH-RELATED TAX POLICY
These two pieces of legislation carry the main thrust of the repeal and replace moniker. If you search them for Workers Comp, WC, Workers Compensation, etc. you will come up with zero instances.
No one wants to fiddle with Workers Compensation right now. The level of concern will grow later when being able to sell insurance across state lines hits the airwaves. In other words, if an agent sells health insurance across state lines, workers comp may soon follow the same path.
WC has been villainized over the past few years as a possible failure or at least failing in its original mission. If that is true, then why do the Feds not act on it? Senator Coburn and House Member Waxman discussed the Affordable Care Act Repeal and Replace over and over again for most of their hour. Workers Comp took up approximately five minutes as the two gentlemen were at the WCRI Conference, not the AHRI Conference. (ACRI = Affordable Care Research Institute). < my apologies to WCRI. If not for the location, the two may not have mentioned Workers Comp at all.
©J&L Risk Management Inc Copyright Notice
