Healthcare

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.

Statement by John Arensmeyer, Founder & CEO of Small Business Majority, on the announcement today that online enrollment for small business exchanges in some states will be delayed a month

The announcement today that the ability for small businesses to enroll online in some small business health insurance marketplaces is delayed for a month is disappointing, but doesn’t change the fact that these exchanges will still be open for business on October 1 and coverage will begin as scheduled on Jan. 1, 2014.

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:

The New Year is just around the corner, which means we’re mere days away from falling off the so-called fiscal cliff. This impending situation — created by a vast array of tax provisions set to expire January 1, at the same time that across-the-board spending cuts start to kick in — could spell disaster for the small business community and our slowly recovering economy.

Co-authored by Erica Schoder at R Street Institute and originally featured in The Huffington Post:

A look at the numbers makes it clear that America’s economy relies on small business. After all, they create a majority of new jobs and employ four out of six American workers. And it’s not often political leaders miss an opportunity to tout the importance of this critical constituency.

John Arensmeyer

As Fairfax, Va., small business owner Mike Brey prepares to close the books on 2012, he’s also starting to make expansion plans. But he hasn’t sealed the deal on his two new Hobby Works stores yet — largely because of growing economic uncertainty as we race toward the edge of the “fiscal cliff.”

John Arensmeyer