New Website Walks California Entrepreneurs Through Ins and Outs of Health Coverage

Sept. 13, 2011, Sausalito, CA, Today, Small Business Majority unveiled the California Health Coverage Guide (http://healthcoverageguide.org), an online resource available in English and Spanish that provides California small business owners with objective, step-by-step information on how to navigate the healthcare market since the passage of federal healthcare reform.

The healthcare landscape is shifting as the market adjusts to provisions of the Affordable Care Act, signed into law in March 2010. The Coverage Guide, which details provisions of healthcare reform pertinent to small businesses, much of it translated into Spanish for the first time, walks small business owners through the complex terminology, laws and options of the health insurance marketplace and helps them determine if offering insurance to their employees is financially feasible. It will also help them narrow down the types of plans best suited to their needs and covers federal and state healthcare laws all California entrepreneurs should be aware of. It is intended solely for informational use. Small Business Majority does not endorse a particular plan type, broker or carrier.

"As the Affordable Care Act continues bringing changes to California's healthcare system, it's essential to disseminate clear, objective information not only about the new law but about the system in general to help small business owners understand their coverage options," said Small Business Majority CEO John Arensmeyer.

The coverage guide has four main sections that cover:

• Frequently asked questions about how the Affordable Care Act affects small businesses now, and which provisions will affect them in 2014 when the law is fully implemented.
• The main issues to consider when deciding if it's affordable to purchase health insurance for employees.
• Steps to follow if employers decide to purchase coverage, plus alternative healthcare options to suggest to employees if group coverage is financially out of reach.
• Tools such as a tax credit calculator, which estimates how much federal healthcare tax credit employers qualify for.

Our hope is that the guide allows employers, including those who are so busy that they only have a few spare moments, to find the information they need and to better understand the processes and laws involved in offering health insurance, Arensmeyer said. By placing this objective information at their fingertips, we hope to make the process of obtaining health coverage quicker and simpler for California's entrepreneurs.

Visit the coverage guide at www.healthcoverageguide.org.

Healthcoverageguide.org was originally developed and launched by the California Healthcare Foundation, and with CHCF support, Small Business Majority has acquired and updated the site's content and has sole editorial control.