Five States To Get Early Access To Small Business Health Insurance Marketplace
By Jordan Shapiro, The St. Louis Post-Dispatch
September 3rd, 2014, 12:56 PM - Kaiser Health News
Businesses in five states will get an early look at the federal health
insurance marketplace for small businesses, the Centers for Medicare and
Medicaid announced Wednesday.
The states are Missouri, Illinois, Ohio, New Jersey and Delaware.
Businesses with fewer than 50 full-time workers in those states will be
able to access the Small Business Health Options Program, or SHOP, in late
October, ahead of the Nov. 15 start of open enrollment.
The five states were selected based on the agency’s
analysis of state insurance markets and the availability of employee
choice, among other factors, a department official said.
Employers, agents and brokers in the early access states will be able to
complete eligibility applications, upload an employee roster, and view plans and
pricing once they become available, the official said.
The administration delayed the SHOP implementation last year in the 36
states using the federal exchange to prioritize fixes to the insurance
marketplace for individuals. However, small businesses could still purchase SHOP
plans through an agent or broker using paper applications.
The official said that allowing employers to
view the online exchange early would allow the government to gather feedback on
the website.
The SHOP exchange is designed to allow a small business to compare competing
plans. The company could then offer its employees a choice from among several
policies, even from different carriers.
Under the law, businesses with fewer than 25 employees can potentially
qualify for a tax credit worth up to 50 percent of their premium’s cost through
the SHOP exchange.
This entry was posted on Wednesday, September
3rd, 2014 at 12:56 pm.