The Obama Administration
announced a year delay in HealthCare.gov's small business functions. The
administration had previously delayed online enrollment from October 1, 2013 to the end of November. The announcement did not come as a surprise to many small
businesses as they have already made other plans for insuring their workers in
2014, frequently achieved by renewing the existing policies.
HealthCare.gov serves
customers for health insurance in 36 states. It was originally designed to help
small businesses as well as individuals. However, Administration
officials said with the widespread website problems, they had to focus on
the basic functions of the website, so that individuals could shop for
insurance, before offering online enrollment for small businesses.
Officials have
encouraged small business owners to work through insurance brokers or agents.
Owners who buy qualifying coverage through an agent may be eligible for tax
credits under the Affordable Care Act. The New York Times reported an Administration official saying, “The
agent, broker or insurer will help the employer fill out a paper application
for SHOP eligibility and send it in to the SHOP marketplace." The insurer
can also tell employers what premiums they would have to pay and can enroll employees.
The Wall Street Journal
interviewed Sharon Hoyer, general
manager of Dill Pickle Food Co-op in Chicago, which has nine full-time
employees including herself, who said she preferred going through her agent.
"I imagine we'll have a speedier response."
The Wall Street Journal
also interviewed Nancy Clark, owner of Glen Group, an eight-person
advertising firm in North Conway, N.H., who said she sent in a paper
application for small business coverage under the new healthcare law last week
because the online option wasn't available. While she is still waiting to see
how much group coverage would cost, she said it was likely she would ask each
of her employees to apply for individual coverage online. Ms. Clark said
she would continue to pay for health coverage as she has done for the past 15
years, but "I am going to pay through raises."
Congress had wanted to
provide small business employees with a range of health plan options. While
some state-run exchanges, not affected by the announcement, will allow
employers to offer such choices to employees, the federal
exchange will not do so until 2015.
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