The Affordable Care Act (ACA) or “Obamacare” is a complex 2,300-page law aimed at reforming the American healthcare system. The measure narrowly passed along partisan lines and was signed into law by President Barack Obama on March 23, 2010, with the most major aspects taking effect in 2014 and several more are being phased-in until 2020.

Many national industries and small businesses, including the structural pest management industry, have been impacted by a provision in the law called the “employer mandate.” The employer mandate has a varying degree of impact depending on a number of factors, such as the number of employees at your business. If your pest management business is not in compliance, you could be subject to steep fines, so it is important for PMPs to be aware of how the law affects you.

With the inauguration of President Donald Trump and a Republican-controlled Congress, there is an effort to repeal and replace the ACA. A repeal and replace bill titled, the American Health Care Act (AHCA) passed the House of Representatives on May 4, 2017, on a narrow partisan vote (217 – 213). The most relevant aspect of the legislation for PMPs is that the AHCA would repeal the employer mandate. The bill now sits in the Senate, as they take-up the issue.

NPMA will continue to engage legislators through the ongoing health care debate and advocate for a health care system that protects people and doesn’t unnecessarily burden businesses.