The Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (PPACA) provides some new support programs for the severely disabled, but it does nothing to protect a workers' paycheck.
The Council for Disability Awareness (CDA) — an insurance-industry-backed effort to educate consumers about the fragility of the ability to work — is finding that PPACA actively interferes with paycheck protection education.
The CDA is getting ready to participate in the Disability Insurance Awareness Month campaign, in May.
Barry Lundquist, right, the CDA president, said in an interview that PPACA has had a major effect in the market since the last awareness month campaign.
"It is the giant gorilla in the room," Lundquist said. "It's used up all of the employers' energy and resources."
The pipeline of new group disability insurance prospects shrank as employers focused on understanding and responding to PPACA, Lundquist said.
In some cases, Lundquist said, employers worried about the effects of PPACA-compliant plans' higher out-of-pocket cost levels have wanted to add benefits to ease the sting.
