In response to the Obama Administration’s announcement that it is delaying the ACA’s requirement that certain large employers with more than 50 employees pay an excise tax if they do not offer qualified insurance to their employees, the House of Representatives approved legislation on July 17, 2013 (H.R. 2667, the Authority for Mandate Delay Act) to amend the ACA to formally delay the employer mandate.  The House also approved H.R. 2668, the Fairness for American Families Act, to delay a separate mandate that individuals purchase health insurance by 2014.  Both bills, which passed on largely party-line votes, were opposed by the Obama Administration, and are not expected to pass the Senate.