More employers than might be thought are well ahead in preparingto meet the requirements of the Patient Protection and AffordableCare Act.

That's according to a survey of human resources managersconducted with the coming open enrollment season in mind. Wellnessprogram consultant and provider Keas said its survey of more than100 HR professionals found that three-quarters of them had takensteps to meet the original Jan. 1, 2014 deadline for Obamacare mandates.

Another 58% were confident they would still be fully compliantwith the act by January, despite the Obama administration decisionto delay implementation of the employer mandate until January2015.

Offering a less optimistic view on the question, Aflac onWednesday released results of a much larger, but professionallybroader, study that found that just 9% of respondents felt theiremployers were “very prepared” to meet the law's requirements.Seven of 10 workers interviewed for the Aflac study said a verybasic requirement of the PPACA — that employers communicatebenefits package options to workers by Oct. 1 — had yet tohappen.

The Keas “HR Executive Survey” identified top open enrollmentpain points for HR managers in the reform era included educatingemployees about available benefits (47%) and getting employees toparticipate in benefits selection (22%).

Also, many (39%) worry “they will be overwhelmed by employeecommunications and questions, when it comes to post PPACAimplementation concerns.” On the other hand, 24% say they have “noconcerns at all.”

“Enterprises are keeping a close eye on health reform policy,”the report said, “and a majority are well ahead of plans inpreparing for these new requirements.”

Questions concerning wellness plans and employee health yieldedresponses that suggest “health and wellness programs are takingcenter stage in employee engagement and retention.”

In fact, wellness is top-of-mind this year, thanks to the act,Keas said.

“With healthcare costs and obesity-related diseases on the riseand wellness incentives baked into the Affordable Care Act, thiswill be the first year health will play a major role in healthbenefits as organizations integrate preventative care programs tomanage costs,” it said.

Wellness findings included:

• 60% of HR executives cite “lowering overall healthcare costs”and “improving overall employee health” as top priorities of2014;
• 34% plan to focus on creating a company culture of health andincreasing employee participation in existing health programs;

“Businesses understand that while wellness programs havehistorically been optional, employee health is mission critical,”said Josh Stevens, CEO of Keas. “Our survey results show thathealth in the workplace is a strategic priority for 2014 – it willdrive employee productivity and ultimately manage healthcare claimscosts.”