Affordable Care Act

Despite months of speeches, speculation and tweets suggesting that the federal government would not continue to provide critical payments that support the Affordable Care Act (ACA) marketplaces, President Trump still has yet to announce a final decision on the future of cost-sharing reduction subsidies (CSRs), which help reduce out-of-pocket healthcare costs for low and moderate-income enrollees.

Alex Code, founder and co-owner of Line 45, a mapping and software solutions company in Gaylord, Michigan, says that becoming an entrepreneur has been his dream since he was fourteen years old. But when he was diagnosed with ulcerative colitis, an autoimmune disorder, as a college student, Alex was sure his dream would never become a reality.  

Michelle Mauricci, a true entrepreneur, has owned not one, not two, but three small businesses. Her current business, Think Possible, located in Reno, Nevada, is a personal business-consulting firm that helps entrepreneurs navigate their health coverage options under the Affordable Care Act (ACA), among other services. Michelle also receives her own coverage through the ACA’s individual marketplace, and credits the healthcare law with allowing her to follow her entrepreneurial dreams.

While Senate Republicans have been working behind closed doors this month on their plan to repeal and replace the Affordable Care Act, the increasing instability of the healthcare marketplace has been making headlines in Ohio.

Shaun Young is the co-founder of Millenefits, a digital staffing agency in Columbus, Ohio. For a monthly fee, small businesses can outsource their online marketing to an expert and in turn, provide healthcare benefits to that self-employed professional.  Shaun’s business philosophy has always been that everyone should have access to healthcare, which is very much in line with the goals of the Affordable Care Act, and that’s why he’s concerned about the Senate’s upcoming vote to repeal the law.

Autumn Theodore was working at a stable, corporate job with benefits when she got the entrepreneurial itch. She finally decided to take the plunge, and opened up her photography business, Autumn Theodore Photography, in Columbus, Ohio. And while Autumn was completely confident in her decision to follow her passion of nearly 13 years, she was unsure how she would be able to afford health insurance.

Sue McDonald is the owner of MP Global Corporation, a full service meeting management company in Niles, Illinois that helps clients execute an event from start to finish. MP Global opened its doors in 2001 and Sue’s husband followed her lead soon after, starting his own business in 2006. However, since the U.S.

Whether or not Republicans eventually succeed in repealing and replacing the Affordable Care Act (ACA), it is increasingly obvious that the debate over the future of healthcare is creating so much uncertainty that irreparable damage may have already been done to the ACA.

Earlier this month, the administration announced a proposal to sunset online enrollment for the federal small business health insurance marketplace, otherwise known as SHOP. It’s one more example of how the administration is determined to undo as much of the Affordable Care Act as possible, despite the fact that it's helping small business owners, their employees, and millions of Americans gain coverage.

In this economy it’s a notable accomplishment to secure a well-paying, full time job with benefits in your early twenties. But it’s perhaps even more impressive to leave the security of such a position to pursue a dream of becoming a business owner. That’s exactly what Kateri Gutierrez did when she opened her mobile coffee shop, Collective Avenue Coffee, in the fall of 2015. However, when Kateri answered her call to entrepreneurship, it came at a price; it meant leaving behind her employer-sponsored health coverage.