Most importantly, no one will be denied health care because of this, and all components of the PPACA are still scheduled for implementation.
PPACA is about health insurance, which isn't quite the same thing as health care. Nonetheless, compared to the way the ACA was written, there
will be fewer people with health insurance coverage because of this delay--employees of companies with more than 50 employees who will elect to not buy coverage and instead pay the small fine/tax. And for those employees who buy individual policies on the exchanges, the hit to taxpayers will be higher (more premium subsidies) than would have been the case if this law had been enforced.
I guess the good news: As a result of the delayed implementation of the employer mandate, businesses will delay their ongoing reductions of full-time jobs (below the magic 50 number), and will delay the reduction of hours below the magic 30/week number.
Below from BLS stats. Note the June numbers: Open to interpretation, but as the ACA implementation approaches, employers have probably been doing the thing that the law incentivizes: dump FT workers and hire PT ones.
One reason suggested for the delay in implementing the employer mandate is this impact on employment, and some have even suggested that this present delay is a deliberate attempt to push the pain until after the 2014 elections.
For semi-retirees looking for a part-time gig, the delay of the employer mandate is a bit of a setback--these government policy-induced part time jobs would be just the ticket for a person who already had Medicare or other insurance.
Another item in the news that relates to this employer health coverage: Immigration reform. Under the plan approved by the Senate, many individuals who have immigrated illegally to the US would be allowed to live and work here legally while they continued on their pathway to full citizenship. They would not be eligible for the ACA subsidies, but also employers would not be mandated to purchase health insurance for them. As a practical matter, that would make it more attractive to hire such a person than a similarly-qualified US citizen.
Breaking the link between employment and health insurance is the major enhancement that the ACA failed to accomplish. But it may do it via the indirect approach.