The White House has launched a new Website designed to inform and educate business owners concerning the Affordable Care Act (ACA), also known as Obamacare. The Health Care Changes Wizard, which is part of BusinessUSA, the administration’s interagency information outlet for employers, asks employers to input their state, company size and current insurance plans. The Wizard delivers tailored information about changes under the law, important dates to remember, and the formulas for determining requirements and penalties.
Starting October 1, 2013 many individuals, self-employed, and small businesses will have a new way to shop for private health insurance.
The new service provides information gathered from Department of Health and Human Services, the Treasury Department and the Small Business Administration. It brings together state- and size-specific information as well as universally important facts about the law in one place, and is part of a broader effort to disperse facts.
The ACA was signed into law in March, 2010 and some of its provisions are already in effect. These provisions focus on consumer protection, improving health care coverage and giving purchasers more value for their premium dollars. More changes are taking effect in late 2013 and beyond.
Starting October 1, 2013 many individuals, self-employed, and small businesses will have a new way to shop for private health insurance through the Health Insurance Marketplace and its Small Business Health Options Program (the SHOP Marketplace), and may be eligible for tax credits and financial assistance. Starting in 2015, businesses with 50 or more employees who do not offer insurance that meets certain minimum standards to their full-time employees could be required to make an Employer Shared Responsibility payment. Fully 96 percent of businesses are below this threshold and will not be affected by the shared responsibility rules, according to BusinessUSA. For more information, visit Health Care Changes.