Many are eager for this year's election cycle to come to aclose, but many unknowns will remain, even once the final ballot iscast and counted. We set out to solve one mystery -- the state ofthe benefits industry -- by asking experts what they think is instore under Donald Trump or Hillary Clinton. Share your thoughts inthe comment section below.

Wrong question?

Predicting the impact on the benefits industry based solely onthe results of the presidential election is a little like trying toanswer a math equation without knowing all of the numbers or theoperation to be performed; it's a wild-ass guess.

Sure, the eventual presidential winner will attempt to set thetone, but the real impact to the industry will be determined by themakeup and attitude of both the House and Senate; it will also beinfluenced by the filling of the vacant Supreme Courtseat. Both candidates are so divisive that, evenif you knew exactly what they wanted to happen, the surest betmight be to predict the opposite, knowing that even their own partymay prefer the distance.

Kevin Trokey, founding partner & coach,Q4intelligence

Wild card or more of the same?

If HRC gets elected, as I feel is the morelikely scenario, we will continue down the path we are on, whichwill likely support the ACA and continue expanding it, perhaps witha public option and maybe even single payer, although I believethat to be a bigger hurdle than some people feel, and I do notbelieve that was the intent of it all along.

If Trump gets elected, that is way too muchof a wild card to even predict. He has stated nothing substantialexcept assuring us it will be “great, so great, we won't evenbelieve it.” I would welcome some substance behind that.

David Contorno, president, Lake Norman Benefits

A big job

Regardless of the outcome of the 2016 presidential election, thenew president of the United States is expected to address many ofthe consequences of the ACA. For example, the excise tax (CadillacTax) was expected by the Congressional Budget Office to produceover $250 billion in tax revenue; however, 75 percent of thatrevenue was forecast to originate from employers that increasedemployee compensation following their exit from an employersponsored plan. Although some employers are leaving the market,these forecasts did not account for employer loyalty to theiremployees.

Additionally, our new president must embrace the concept thathealth insurance is expensive because health care is expensive inorder to finally address the dramatic rate increases faced byemployers and individuals. With 80 percent of health plan premiumsused to pay health care expenses, our president will have toaddress the overwhelming cost of health care services.

Tom Harte, president, Landmark Benefits, Inc.

Real health reform is needed

As we approach the election, the future of the ACA is finallygetting serious focus, thanks to off-script comments by formerPresident Bill Clinton. The ACA undoubtedly needs fixes, especiallythe repeal of the looming excise tax on employer coverage. Butwhile Donald Trump wants to repeal the and replace the ACA withwhat largely amounts to reconfiguring coverage options and HillaryClinton wants to increase taxes to stabilize exchange coverage,neither candidate is focusing on what our country needs — realhealth reform. Both sides should focus as much or more attention tofixing what’s driving up the cost of care.

We need to rapidly accelerate the move away from fee-for-servicemedicine in both public and private health care, to eradicate thefinancial incentives that drive hospitals and doctors to prescribemore expensive treatments in more expensive settings when lessexpensive quality alternatives are available, to step up scrutinyof industry consolidation that gives health care systems too muchleverage to raise prices, and to assure that state and federal lawsdo not inhibit the ability for people to access lower cost qualityhealth care alternatives for routine preventive and primarycare.

These are the “real” health care reform issues that employers,employees, and all Americans want the next administration and thenext Congress to address.

Steve Wojcik, vice president, National Business Group onHealth