Urgent Care Centers Stand to Gain and Lose When New ACA Rule Takes Effect

Come January 1, the latest provisions of the Affordable Care Act (ACA) to go into effect will require companies that employ 50–99 people to offer acceptable health coverage to at least 95% of their full-time workers. Since that would include many urgent care centers, it’s likely that some operators will see their healthcare spending go up. However, savvy marketers will seize on the opportunity to demonstrate the value of their occupational medicine services to local employers looking to minimize their own expenses. Either way, the additional ACA requirement may have some employers assessing their headcount needs, and whether some positions could be filled on a part-time or outsourced basis. The employee’s portion of the cost cannot exceed the statutory limit, typically 9.5% of the employee’s income as reported on his or her W-2 form.