title: Why employers will continue to provide health insurance: the impact of the Affordable Care Act.
abstract: The Congressional Budget Office, the Rand Corporation, and the Urban Institute have estimated that the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (ACA) will leave employer-sponsored coverage largely intact; in contrast, some economists and benefit consultants argue that the ACA encourages employers to drop coverage, thereby making both their workers and their firms better off (a "win-win" situation). This analysis shows that no such "win-win" situation exists and that employer-sponsored insurance will remain the primary source of coverage for most workers. Analysis of three issues-the terms of the ACA, worker characteristics, and the fundamental economics of competitive markets-supports this conclusion.
authors.affiliation: Health Policy Center of the Urban Institute, Washington, DC 20037, Iblumberg@urban.org
authors.forename: Linda J
authors.initials: LJ
authors.lastname: Blumberg
authors.forename: Matthew
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Buettgens
authors.forename: Judith
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Feder
authors.forename: John
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Holahan
mesh_terms: D003362:Cost-Benefit Analysis; D006264:Health Benefit Plans, Employee / Q000191:economics*; D006801:Humans; D058991:Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act / Q000191:economics*; D014481:United States