The National Retail Federation Wednesday issued the following statement from Vice President and Employee Benefits Policy Counsel Neil Trautwein on the announcement that the administration is delaying small business enrollment through the health care exchanges or marketplaces Wednesday:
“Today’s decision underscores the unmatched complexity of the Affordable Care Act, and highlights the fact that the administration and Congress failed to adequately understand the negative repercussions of the law. It is hard not to be disappointed that employers and employees will not be able to access care through the website.
“If the law is so burdensome for the administration to implement, just think how hard it is for small businesses, which are focused on growing a company, hiring new employees and assisting customers. The commercial market is not as forgiving as the world in which regulators operate.
“The National Retail Federation will continue its efforts to ease the regulatory impact the Affordable Care Act has on retailers, chain restaurants and other businesses as long as it is the law of the land."
NRF is the world’s largest retail trade association, representing discount and department stores, home goods and specialty stores, Main Street merchants, grocers, wholesalers, chain restaurants and Internet retailers from the United States and more than 45 countries. Retail is the nation’s largest private sector employer, supporting one in four U.S. jobs – 42 million working Americans. Contributing $2.5 trillion to annual GDP, retail is a daily barometer for the nation’s economy. NRF’s This is Retail campaign highlights the industry’s opportunities for life-long careers, how retailers strengthen communities, and the critical role that retail plays in driving innovation. www.nrf.com.