Under the ACA, what might a large employer be required to do?

A large employer under the Affordable Care Act (ACA) may be required to pay penalties if they do not offer health coverage. This requirement was established to ensure that employers provide a minimum level of health coverage to their full-time employees. Specifically, large employers (those with 50 or more full-time equivalent employees) must either offer affordable health insurance that provides essential health benefits or potentially face fines if they fail to meet these criteria.

The ACA was designed to increase access to health insurance and reduce the number of uninsured individuals. By imposing these penalties, the legislation incentivizes employers to provide health insurance, thereby lifting the financial burden from employees who might otherwise struggle to find and afford health coverage. This approach also works to promote higher levels of insured individuals within the workforce, contributing to overall public health and productivity.

The other options do not reflect the actual requirements outlined by the ACA: large employers are not limited to covering only high-level employees, they must offer coverage to full-time employees, which includes a broad range of workers and cannot discriminate based on age alone or cease operations for non-compliance.