Apparently, "wait and see" is more than just another tired cliche. And it's clearly not just brokers embracing Sam Becket's approach to business.
Just after the Supreme Court dropped its bombshell opinion a couple weeks ago, Mercer hit the phones and started calling employers, racking up more than 4,000 opinions before they hung up.
Not surprisingly, most of them were sitting around waiting for the court to decide the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act before working on their 2014 plans – when they really have to start thinking about some of the law's bigger provisions.
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Now that the court's had its say, 40 percent of the employers polled will start laying the groundwork for 2014. But what's still strange here is that 16 percent are going to just keep waiting – this time for November.
I've never been much of a planner myself, so I can relate to some extent, but I can't get my head around any employer not jumping all over this. Because it's not just about 2014: There are plenty of other compliance deadlines between now and then that require immediate attention.
Not the least of which, according to the Mercer survey, is the new coverage mandate for employees working at least 30 hours a week, which 28 percent of employers said would offer up a "significant challenge" to their business. The retail industry must be dreading this more than the day after Christmas.
But plenty of other thorns remain to prick the sides of these apparently procrastinating employers. The auto enrollment requirement for eligible employees will obviously boost the rolls – and nearly 30 percent of those Mercer surveyed expressed serious concern for this "significant challenge."
And while 2018 is still out there, that's where the single-greatest employee concern is waiting: the excise tax on so-called Cadillac plans.
So, yeah, there's a lot to worry about. But sitting around waiting for some judges – or a politician – to swoop in and save the day is Quixotic at best. Even if we manage to elect Romney in November, his ability to change much of this law is suspect.
So stop putting it off. It's time to wake up and start planning for life after reform – at least this round of it. Take it from me: Waiting until the last minute will only make it harder on yourself.
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