The final day of the ASA Staffing Law Conference, May 7–8 in Washington, DC, began with the event’s most highly anticipated session, “Health Care Reform Panel Discussion—What Are Staffing Firms Doing to Prepare?” Staffing professionals intently took notes, asked questions of the expert panelists, and shared potential scenarios with their peers as they considered their “pay or play” options under the Affordable Care Act.

ASA senior counsel Ed Lenz moderated the panel. He stressed that there isn’t any one blanket solution for the staffing industry when it comes to health care reform. “This is not a one-size-fits-all industry. You’re all different, and each individual company will need to closely analyze various factors to craft its best strategy,” Lenz said.

Among the many tools ASA has rolled out to its member companies to help them navigate health care reform is the ASA Affordable Care Act Cost Calculator for Staffing, which is featured on an ASA web page dedicated to ACA resources for staffing companies.

“The beauty of the calculator is that it should give you a fair idea of what your incremental bill rates may need to be” to cover the potential costs of ACA compliance, Lenz said. He described the “three buckets,” or cost centers, from which staffing firms may need to draw to cover costs.

Following the panel discussion, the ASA Staffing Law Conference closed with a lively question-and-answer session, which was dominated by ACA-related questions. ASA members may order recordings of this year’s sessions.

See the photos from the 2013 ASA Staffing Law Conference, and mark your calendar for the 2014 conference, which takes place May 13–14.