SHRM Prepares HR Professionals for Health Care Law Changes

The new health care legislation signed by President Obama promises sweeping changes for employers. In response, the Society for Human Resource Management (SHRM) developed numerous tools and resources to help human resource professionals guide their organizations through the legislation changes. 

“The health care legislation signed by President Obama on March 23rd will impact every workplace and every employee,” said Mike Aitken, SHRM’s director of government affairs. “The new law is complex with some aspects of the new law taking affect quickly and others unfolding over the next several years. HR professionals will need to keep ahead of the curve to ensure their organizations comply with the new and changing legislation.”

The immediately available SHRM resources for information about the new health care law are:

• On Thursday, March 25, SHRM released a webcast with clear, concise information about the health care reform package, and what the Senate’s “reconciliation” debate means as additional changes are anticipated. This 30-minute webcast will be available online at “SHRM’s Health Care Resource Page.”


• “SHRM’s Health Care Resource Page” is also a one-stop resource with all of the latest articles, stories, videos, webcasts and advocacy efforts surrounding health care reform.


• SHRM will host a second, more comprehensive webcast delving further into the broad reach of the new law on April 7 featuring Frank McArdle of Hewitt Associates.


• The June issue of HR Magazine will take a detailed look at the reform package and how it fits with your ongoing health care offerings and overall HR strategy.


• SHRM’s Annual Conference will have sessions dedicated to the health care reform package. In addition, SHRM is preparing an “Implementation Guide” for attendees, to help navigate the law’s rules and requirements.


• SHRM’s research department is already preparing data on how HR professionals are responding to the new legislation, which will generate polls and in-depth survey reports on various aspects of the reform measures.


• SHRM’s Knowledge Center is building a Health Care Q&A for SHRM member use.

“With the President’s signing of this new law, the need for HR expertise became considerably more critical,” said SHRM President and CEO Laurence G. O’Neil. “As the world’s most comprehensive HR resource, SHRM will be providing additional materials and updates in the days and weeks ahead – presenting HR practitioners with the big picture about health care reform, as well as specific details on how to implement the law in individual organizations.”