PPACA Delay

What would the reaction be to an announcement the FBI had announced, at the direction of the White House, that it will not enforce a controversial gun control law? There would more than likely be a very heated debate on the legality of this decision and investigations into the ability of a government agency to do this without oversight from Congress.

So, the announcement last week that the Treasury Department will not enforce the “Employer Mandate” provision of PPACA until 2015 should raise the same questions and generate the same discussion, shouldn't it?  But, will the media and public take this “gift” from the government, take a deep sigh of relief (even if it’s only for a year) and go on with life?

The law is still the law and must be enforced as written. Our elected representatives are sent to Washington D.C. to make decisions on our behalf. This includes passing laws that each of us must live by on a daily basis.  What will become of our society if one branch of government is able to “decide” which laws (even which part of those laws) is going to be enforced? During the 1920's, law enforcement personnel and agencies that turned a blind eye toward enforcing the 18^th Amendment were seen as corrupt. Our country is built upon the foundation of civil equality, meaning we are all supposed to be governed by the same set of rules … and we elect the people that set the rules.

There will be a debate about the legality surrounding the announcement of delayed enforcement of the “Employer Mandate” provision of PPACA My hope is that any person that raises this concern will not be seen as doing it only for political reasons.

Is this announcement a good thing? Yes, however, there are two thoughts I have on the announcement.

First, employers should have the feeling we had as a child when we got in trouble during the day and we heard those dreaded words, “Just wait until your father gets home.” We knew things were not going to be good when he came through the door, but we did have a few precious hours of normalcy until everything came crashing down.

Second, employers should take advantage of the delay.  Much like the two conference champions get and “extra week” of preparation for the Super Bowl. They should take this extra time to develop strategies that will minimize the impact of PPACA on business and position every business to be successful in the future.

So, is this reprieve a good thing? Yes. Should we go back to business as usual? No. We should all work diligently to develop a “game plan” for 2015 and beyond.