Page 40 - ATR 1 2014 web

people than anything else because there
is so much confusion in the market,”
Mirts said. “I had a guy say to me last
week that he didn’t even know that the
health care reform had started. Yes, it’s
started.”
Mirts said Enrollment First insures
more than 50,000 independent truck
“we speNd more time educatiNg people drivers, and many of them — especially
thaN aNYthiNg else because there is so those without major existing medical

much coNfusioN iN the market. i had a problems —have so far made the cal-
guY saY to me last week that he didN’t culation that they’ll come out ahead
paying the fines instead of buying
eVeN kNow that the health care reform the major medical insurance coverage
had started. Yes, it’s started.” required by the ACA.
“If you don’t have a medical prob-
—hazeN mirts, lem now, why spend $400 a month to
buy health care?” he said. Some drivers
ceo, eNrollmeNt first
are signing up for major medical plans,
but not as many as are buying so-called
“skinny” medical policies — those with
very limited benefits. Such policies have
been common in the trucking industry,
but they don’t comply with the ACA’s
requirements, Mirts said.
“They’re not against the law but
of Enrollment First, a Tennessee-based many people are putting off signing they’re not credible plans,” he said.
company that provides health insur- up for insurance that meets the ACA’s “They’re not good enough for the
ance enrollment services to businesses standard. Affordable Care Act.”
and the individuals who work for them, “Ninety-five dollars in this day and To meet the ACA’s requirements,
including independent contractors. time isn’t a big deal to anyone, but next plans have to cover a minimum set of
Enrollment First, which specializes in year, it’s going to be more,” Wage said. services, including preventive health
the transportation industry and works Most people would already pay sig- care. That’s a good thing for truck driv-
with trucking firms in all 50 states, is nificantly more than $95 the first year. ers, Mirts said. Many truck drivers have
working with Wage to extend its ser- For instance, a driver making $50,000 health problems related to the trucking
vices to Arkansas drivers and company year would pay a $500 penalty. lifestyle — heart disease, overweight,
owners. Part of the problem has been sign- diabetes, lack of exercise. Being over-
“If they’re not enrolled by March ing up for an individual health insur- weight can cause sleep apnea, which is
31, they will have to pay that tax on ance plan through the health care a major safety concern in the trucking
their taxes next year, unless the govern- insurance exchange. The now-infamous industry. One study of rookie truck
ment changes something again,” Mirts website which came online last fall drivers showed that those who were
said. hasn’t been easy for many independent “severely obese” were 43 to 55-percent
The law says individuals must have Arkansas truck drivers. There are the more likely to crash than drivers of nor-
health insurance for eight months out problems with the website itself, but mal weight. Other studies have shown
of a year to avoid paying the tax penal- also, the majority of truck drivers don’t truck drivers are more likely to smoke,
ty. That means having coverage in place own a personal computer, Mirts said. be overweight, have high blood pressure
by May 1, and enrollment by March 31. Most have smart phones, but it’s even and have sleep disorders — all of which
“After that, the next time they harder to use the health insurance can be managed with regular health
could enroll is for October 1 effective exchange through a phone, he said. care.
dates,” Mirts said. Truck drivers also tend to be more Truck drivers are also exposed to
The tax — $95 or 1-percent of a isolated than many people, Mirts said, more contagious illnesses, Mirts said.
person’s yearly income, whichever is so it’s harder for them to stay current “Truckers live in truck stops, in overly
greater — doesn’t sound like much at on the latest ACA developments. germy areas. If you get a guy who gets
first, though, and that’s one reason “We spend more time educating sick, who gets pneumonia, he’s out of

40 arKansas trucKing report | issue 1 2014