> So it is possible that Obamacare fizzles out bit by bit
> before it is implemented.
What do you mean by "before" ...? An enormous number of provisions of Obamacare have already gone into effect, and it has survived several court challenges. This delay is minor compared to what has already taken place and doesn't impact very many companies -- let alone employees -- in the scheme of things. It is only one of about 15 major items that are scheduled to take effect on 1-Jan-2014.
The article you posted says this:
>> Small businesses, many of which would have had to install
>> systems to track and report which employees are receiving
>> coverage, had been complaining about the difficulty of complying
>> with the requirements, giving way to fears that companies
>> might reduce their workforces to fall below the 50-worker threshold.
Which is of course, just bullshit. No one is going to fire people or deliberately downsize their business just to miss this mandate. But frankly, if you have 50 employees and aren't already giving at least some of them health care because by doing so you would become unprofitable, you deserve to go out of business. That says one thing to me: you don't have a business plan.
I think this delay is a reflection of a single issue: the exchanges aren't ready to go yet, so starting the penalties a year later can also be seen as a bit of stimulus.
/jordan