President Biden’s Executive Orders Will Strengthen Healthcare Access for Small Businesses

"We’re glad President Biden signed new executive orders today that will reopen enrollment on the federal Affordable Care Act marketplaces and strengthen the Medicaid program. This is vitally important to small businesses during this challenging time because more than half of all ACA marketplace enrollees are small business owners, self-employed individuals or small business employees. 

Nearly a year into the pandemic, many individuals in the small business community have lost or are facing the reality of losing their health coverage as businesses have closed their doors and laid off employees. This is why we have been calling for a special open enrollment period from the beginning of the COVID-19 crisis to ensure small business owners and their employees have access to health coverage that won’t break their budget. This is equally important to the thousands of individuals who have started new businesses as a result of the pandemic and need to access affordable health coverage.

Similarly, strengthening Medicaid will provide healthcare access to more small business owners and employees who simply cannot afford to purchase health coverage on their own. Nearly two million small business employees have gained coverage thanks to Medicaid expansion and more than 600,000 could become covered if all remaining states expanded the program. 

With the pandemic continuing to decimate small businesses, we applaud President Biden’s efforts to ensure more small business owners and employees have access to affordable health coverage and hope to see additional steps to strengthen the ACA soon.”