Bloomberg Businessweek
Another Hiccup for Obamacarefs Small Business Marketplaces
A new delay for one of the many
pieces of the Affordable Care Act scheduled to begin Oct. 1 is giving more
fodder to the lawfs opponents. Companies that want to buy health plans through
some of the new marketplaces going online next week, known as SHOP exchanges,
will have to wait
until November to enroll.
Companies with 50 or fewer employees arenft required to buy coverage under
the law. But those that want to can use the Small
Business Health Options Program, and some may get tax credits for providing
coverage. The SHOP exchanges are separate from the online marketplaces that
individuals will use to buy coverage. Some states are running their own SHOP
exchanges, while others left it to the federal government to build them.
In those
36 states, companies will be able to browse among health plans starting Oct.
1, but they wonft be able to buy coverage until November, for coverage beginning
in 2014, according to Joanne Peters, spokeswoman for the Department of Health
and Human Services.
Unlike in the individual marketplace, gopen enrollment for the SHOP
marketplace is year round, giving small business owners plenty of time to make a
decision,h she says in an e-mail. gThe individual marketplace will still open on
time on October 1 with full online enrollment and plan shopping options.h
Another element of the SHOP exchanges has
already been delayed. They were originally meant to let employees at the
same company choose from a menu of different health plans, as workers at many
large companies can. That requirement was put off for a year (though some states
will still offer the capability). For 2014, employers choose one plan for the
company to offer to all their workers.
The latest delay ignited criticism from opponents who want to dismantle the
law. gWith this latest glitch in the small-business exchanges, the case for a
delay of the individual mandate alongside the employer mandate only grows
stronger,h Kevin Kuhlman, of the National Federation of Independent Business,
said in an e-mail to reporters. gSmall business owners should not be forced to
comply with a law that is clearly not ready for prime time.h
Representative Sam Graves, the Missouri Republican who chairs the House Small
Business Committee, said Obamacarefs gdelays, false starts and misinformation
are leading to even more confusion and uncertainty for small businesses.h He
urged repeal, something House Republicans have voted more than 40 times to
do.
Peters, the Health Department spokeswoman, says the White House is starting
an outreach campaign gto make sure small businesses have the information they
need.h
Small Business Majority Chief Executive John Arensmeyer, who is a proponent
of the law, characterized the recent hiccup as minor. The delay gis
disappointing, but doesnft change the fact that these exchanges will still be
open for business on Oct. 1 and coverage will begin as scheduled on Jan. 1,
2014,h he said in a statement.