Politics

Could Delay of ObamaCare's Personal Coverage Mandate Follow Business Delay?

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Yesterday the U.S. Treasury announced that businesses with 50 or more employees will have an extra year to comply with the regulations of the Affordable Care Act that they offer health insurance to workers or face fines.

At Reuters, David Morgan analyzes whether the personal mandate might ultimately face the same implementation delay:

Administration officials said a delay in the individual mandate was not under consideration, while former Obama advisers played down the significance of the employer mandate announcement on Tuesday.

"This decision isn't a big deal. It won't affect that many firms," said Nancy-Ann DeParle, a former senior White House aide who was deeply involved in developing the healthcare law.

"People will still have a responsibility to get covered and those who can't get affordable coverage through their employers will be able to come to the new marketplaces and get it."

Of course, those "new marketplaces" known as health insurance exchanges might not be ready on time either, so what happens then?

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