Area Businesses Brace For ObamaCare’s Impact

OCEAN CITY -- With the mandated Affordable Health Care Act, or ObamaCare, deadline still almost a year away, Ocean City business leaders this week got a primer on what the changes might mean to them, but because of the seasonal nature of the resort and the wildly fluctuating employee totals, the solution still appears to be as clear as mud.

Chris Carroll, vice president of Atlantic-Smith-Cropper and Deeley Insurance, this week presented a primer of sorts on the ins and outs of the Affordable Care Act (ACA) to members of the Ocean City Economic Development Committee (EDC). The ACA, referred to by many as ObamaCare, is complicated and reads like an inches-thick tome on tax law, but in its simplest terms, the act requires all Americans to obtain healthcare insurance from one of a variety of sources by January 2014.

Some will be able to find affordable health insurance on their own, while others will be covered by an expanded Medicaid program based on earnings in relation to the poverty level. Most, however, will be covered by mandated plans offered through their employers.
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