Affordable Care Act

Jackiethia Butsch

Engaging with small business owners on a topic like healthcare is never an easy thing. The terminology is complicated, the law is complex and it’s an incredibly personal issue for many people. What is easy, however, is listening to small business owners’ concerns, and talking them through. Everyone wants to be heard.

Health insurance marketplaces, being set up under the new healthcare law, will be implemented on Oct. 1. Despite the law being more than 3 years old, anything surrounding it, including these insurance marketplaces–the most important provision for small business owners–remains a hotbed of controversy and confusion for many small business owners. Enter Small Business Majority – the leading organization in the nation in terms of educating small business owners about the Affordable Care Act and these new health exchanges.

The Small Business Administration and Small Business Majority are launching the Affordable Care Act 101 weekly webinar series.  Each week, SBA representatives will walk through the key pieces of the law so that small business owners can understand the facts and make the most informed decisions they can about providing health insurance for their employees.

This free series will focus on both federal and state provisions to help small business owners understand how the law will affect them. Topics being discussed include:

This memo was originally issued on April 4, 2013:

The Department of Health and Human Services’ proposal to delay critical requirements for small business health insurance exchanges in some states is a disappointment to Small Business Majority and millions of small businesses. It’s a letdown to small business owners and their employees looking forward to robust, competitive exchanges in 2014. We hope this proposal is recognized as counterproductive and is abandoned.

This week marks the third anniversary of the health care law’s passage. Given the amount of airtime the law still gets, it’s hard to believe the Affordable Care Act has been on the books that long. The law continues to generate controversy from the corridors of Capitol Hill to the sidewalks of Main Street, but in fact many important provisions impacting our country’s primary job creators have been quietly helping small business owners better afford health insurance.

Originally featured on the Enroll America blog:

John Arensmeyer

Statement originally issued on June 28, 2012:

John Arensmeyer

Originally released June 14, 2012:

A plurality (50 percent) of small business owners want the healthcare reform law upheld—either as is or with minor changes—while only one-third want the Supreme Court to overturn it, according to opinion polling released today by Small Business Majority. However, after learning more about the law, a clear majority (56 percent) want it kept intact with, at most, only minor changes.

David Chase

Originally released June 12, 2012: