Agriculture contractors concerned with ACA coverage requirements

Many contractors who provide farm labor and must now offer workers health insurance are complaining loudly about the cost in their already low-margin business (Source: “Farm Contractors Balk At Obamacare Requirements,” Kaiser Health News, Feb. 11, 2016).

Some are also concerned that the forms they must file with the federal government under the Affordable Care Act will bring immigration problems to the fore. About half of the farm labor workforce in the U.S. is undocumented, according to U.S. Department of Agriculture estimates.

“There’s definitely going to be some repercussions to it,” said Jesse Sandoval, a farm labor contractor based in Stockton, California. “I think there’s going to be some things that cannot be ignored.”

Last year, employers with 100 or more full-time employees had to offer health insurance to their workers or pay a stiff penalty. This year, employers with 50 to 99 full-time employees must comply.