Small Business Majority joins statewide and regional business organizations to create a new tool for California's business community
Employers can get the facts on the law's business-specific terms that are most important for running their businesses
California's leading business organizations and The California Endowment today announced they have joined together to launch the Health Law Guide for Business, a new website aimed at providing accurate and easy-to-understand information on the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act to all businesses in the state. The Guide is tailored specifically for executives to access information regarding the law's provisions that could impact business operations. Available at www.healthlawguideforbusiness.org, the Guide will help business owners navigate through all 2,409 pages of the healthcare law, all in one place.
"There are many online options with information on the healthcare law, but the Health Law Guide for Business is the only one created by a collaborative effort of statewide and regional California business organizations" said John Arensmeyer, founder and CEO of Small Business Majority. "Small Business Majority is a proud partner in creating this website to help businesses of all sizes access information about the law."
Small Business Majority partnered with the Bay Area Council, California Hispanic Chambers of Commerce, California Small Business Development Center, Pacific Business Group on Health, Silicon Valley Leadership Group, Small Business California and The Los Angeles Area Chamber of Commerce to provide this resource to help California's business community stay informed of the law's implementation and address misinformation about the law.
With a law that includes as many levels of benefits, complexities and details as the Affordable Care Act, it's understandable that many California employers still remain confused about what the law means to them and how it will impact their business. The report by Pacific Community Ventures, Health Care and Small Business: Understanding Health Care Decision Making in California, found that out of the 804 California small business employers surveyed, 43 percent said they are more likely to offer health insurance after learning of key benefits, like tax credits, made available by the healthcare law.
The site includes videos, interactive surveys, a tax credit calculator and an easy-to-use format, along with numerous elements to serve a variety of preferences for gathering and retaining information.
In 2010, California became the first state to enact legislation creating an Affordable Insurance Exchange as required under the federal healthcare law. Starting in 2014, the California Health Benefit Exchange will allow individuals and small businesses to compare health plans, get answers to questions, find out if they are eligible for tax credits for private insurance or health programs, and enroll in a health plan that meets their needs. The Exchange is separated into two separate programs, the Individual Exchange and the Small Business Health Options Program (SHOP). The SHOP will allow small businesses to band together to create a large purchasing pool so that small business owners will have access to the same lower rates that large employers have enjoyed for decades.
About the Health Law Guide for Business
The Health Law Guide for Business (The Guide), established in 2012 by the Bay Area Council, California Hispanic Chambers of Commerce, California Small Business Development Center, Pacific Business Group on Health, Silicon Valley Leadership Group, Small Business Majority, Small Business California, the Los Angeles Area Chamber of Commerce and The California Endowment - is the first-of-its-kind website devoted to informing California's business community about business-specific provisions of the health care law. As an information hub for California businesses, workers and the media, The Guide website provides accurate information on the health care law that's most important for employers to run and operate their businesses. Learn more by visiting: www.healthlawguideforbusiness.org
About Small Business Majority
Small Business Majority is a California-based, national nonpartisan small business advocacy organization, founded and run by small business owners, and focused on solving the biggest problems facing America's 28 million small businesses. We conduct extensive opinion and economic research and work with small business owners, policy experts and elected officials nationwide to bring small business voices to the public policy table. www.smallbusinessmajority.org
About The California Endowment
The California Endowment, a private, statewide health foundation, was established in 1996 to expand access to affordable, quality health care for underserved individuals and communities, and to promote fundamental improvements in the health status of all Californians. Headquartered in downtown Los Angeles, The Endowment has regional offices in Sacramento, Oakland, Fresno and San Diego, with program staff working throughout the state. The Endowment challenges the conventional wisdom that medical settings and individual choices are solely responsible for people's health. The Endowment believes that health happens in neighborhoods, schools, and with prevention. For more information, visit The Endowment's homepage at www.calendow.org.