Obamacare Small Business Exchange Will Be Delayed A Year

[OhioChick]

Source: Huffington Post

11/27/2013 3:08 pm EST

Small businesses won't be able to buy health insurance via HealthCare.gov until next year, President Barack Obama's administration announced Wednesday.

The delay in functionality for the so-called SHOP exchanges represents the latest setback in the Obama administration's efforts to implement the three-year-old Affordable Care Act. The development also comes just days before HealthCare.gov, the online portal for individual and family health coverage in more than 30 states, is supposed to be working better after its troubled first two months.

Small businesses that want to utilize the federally run SHOP exchanges, and the tax credits worth up to half the cost of insurance that are available to some firms, will have to sign up through an insurance agent or broker or directly with a health insurance company, an administration official explained via email. In an attempt to mitigate the failure of the online application and enrollment process that was supposed to be in place, small businesses can submit their applications for tax credits whenever they file their taxes rather than in advance, the official wrote.

“This new delay announcement is a disappointment but not a surprise. Small businesses continue to be low on the priority list during the Obamacare implementation process," Kevin Kuhlman, manager of legislative affairs at the National Federation of Independent Business, said in a written statement. "The continued delays add to uncertainty and contribute to the decision of many owners to take early renewals of their small-group plans.” The National Federation of Independent Business opposed the Affordable Care Act and was the lead plaintiff in the lawsuit challenging its constitutionality, which the Supreme Court ultimately upheld.

Read more: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/11/27/obamacare-small-business_n_4350965.html

[Paolo123]

1. Let's junk the ACA

Yes I said it. It's a dastardly sell-out. Over fear of it getting clobbered by the health insurance companies like happened in 1994, there was a simple trade-off done. Subsidies would be provided and in exchange the government would force everyone to buy one of the insurance companies products. yes, the fucking insurance companies. The people (along with the major hospital chains imho) who created the mess and gouge people left and right. Yes, let's require everyone to buy their damn product. (

Step 1 of any solution is to get rid of the insurance companies from the daily lives of people.

Step 2 is to get the hospitals to stop gouging everyone.

How do we do it? Single Payer health care. It's the only way, and the cost savings of cutting out the insurance companies will be immense.

I grew up in Italy and guess what? I have never heard of anyone going bankrupt because they got sick. Here in the US a friend of my mother's who was of Italian descent was desperately trying to get her italian citizenship through. Why? So she could go to Italy and get treatment for her cancer.

She died before that happened.


This isn't an issue of "socialism". I'm generally a market socialist. I believe competition is good. But guess what? There is no competition now. At no time in my 20+ years in the US have I EVER chosen my health care based on competition between Dr's.

So, this is not about socialism. This is about basic humanity.

How expensive will it be? I don't know. By cutting out the insurance companies and the endless legions of people who have to deal with them, and by cutting out the gouging by hospitals, I think it will be cheaper than the current system.

How will it be paid for? I don't know. Do it via payroll taxes if need by but I don't think that need be (or not totally). Here's a thought: Cut the military/NSA/CIA/Homeland Security budget by 75%.

[RBInMaine]

3. And, um, just how the hell are you going to get that to PASS? Please enter the real world.

Medicare For All is ultimately the way to go, but it will NEVER pass anytime soon nationally. So please, enough the ridiculous "Let's get rid of the ACA SHIT."

[Paolo123]

5. The issue is that,

Unless the ACA implementation process (Or should I say, the perception of it) improves there is going to be a "what now" question. We need to make sure there is a progressive answer.

[RBInMaine]

7. I agree, but Medicare For All will NEVER, EVER, EVER pass nationally. ACA is already improving.

[valerief]

11. Uh, that's what Americans want, but Congress doesn't fund what Americans want. nt

[Towlie]

2. Read this carefully! It's just the website function that's delayed, not the whole program.

http://www.usatoday.com/story/news/politics/2013/11/27/shop-website-delay/3768761/

[RBInMaine]

4. MISLEADING TITLE !! The exchange is there, you just have to sign up through a broker or directly.

[Demo_Chris]

6. Predictable. Still have that mandate though. nt

[RBInMaine]

9. They will also consider delaying the mandate which may also make some sense. We'll see. Sometimes

a new law, such as one this big, needs more time to fully implement. That is not a big deal.

[RBInMaine]

10. ACA would not be repealed anyway though because that would be vetoed. Tweak it, fine. Don't end it.