Employers shouldn't incent employees who are costly to cover to purchase plans on the health insurance exchanges, federal agencies say in a FAQ bulletin. The U.S. Departments of Health and Human Services, Labor and Treasury said in the FAQs that employers who move high-cost workers are discriminating against those employees based solely on health status. Although the Affordable Care Act doesn't prohibit companies from paying their sick employees to get coverage through exchanges, the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act and the Public Health Service Act do.
According to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, 9.5 million Americans have selected a healthcare plan or re-enrolled in the Healthcare Marketplcae since November 15; 212,000 in New Jersey. Open emrollment ends February 15, 2015.