Some long-term care providers could face monthly penalties between $170 and $260 per employee if they do not meet the Affordable Care Act’s so-called “employer mandate” next year, according to recently released estimates from global consulting firm Mercer.

Under the ACA, employers with 50 or more full-time workers must offer employee health insurance that meets certain requirements or else pay a penalty to Uncle Sam. This employer mandate was scheduled to take effect in 2014, but the White House delayed it by one year.

The precise noncompliance penalties will be set by the Internal Revenue Service, but Mercer used figures in Health and Human Services Department regulations to estimate what the penalties likely would be in 2015.

If an employer does not offer any health benefits to workers, the company will be on the hook for $173.33 per full-time employee per month, according to Mercer’s GRIST report. If an employer offers health plans that do not meet all the minimum requirements as set forth in the ACA, the monthly fee could be $260 per affected full-time employee.

The penalties would apply to a midsize or large employer that has at least one employee obtaining insurance through the government’s new healthcare exchanges, or who is receiving a premium tax credit, according to the Bureau of National Affairs.