05 Nov Cost of benefits, ACA compliance main concerns of midsized businesses

Originally posted by Andrea Davis on https://ebn.benefitnews.com

The cost of health coverage, the Affordable Care Act and the volume of government regulations are the top three concerns of midsized business owners and executives, according to a new survey from the ADP Research Institute.

Seventy percent of midsized businesses – those with between 50 and 999 employees – surveyed said their biggest challenge in 2013 is the cost of health coverage and benefits. ACA legislation  came in as the No. 2 concern, cited by 59%, a 16% increase over last year. And rounding out the top three list of concerns was the level and volume of government regulations, cited by 54%.

“What was a surprise to us was that midsized business owners’ level of confidence in their ability to comply with the laws and regulations doesn’t reflect reality,” says Jessica Saperstein, division vice president of strategy and business development at ADP.

For example, the survey finds that, overall, 83% of midsized businesses are confident they’re compliant with payroll tax laws and regulations, nearly one-third reported unintended expenses – fines, penalties or lawsuits – as a result of not being compliant.

“The majority say they’re confident but many of them are experiencing these fines and penalties,” says Saperstein. “On average, it’s about six times a year and the average cost of one of these penalties or fines is $90,000.”

Nearly two-thirds of benefits decision-makers at midsized companies are not confident they understand the ACA and what they need to do to be compliant. Ninety percent aren’t confident their employees understand the effects of the ACA on their benefits choices.