Small employers that want to buy health plans through the Small Business Health Options Program on healthcare.gov still have to mail in applications, and there’s no sign that the site will be fully functioning by the end-of-November deadline the White House set.
Actually applying for small business coverage on healthcare.gov right now requires both online and offline steps.
Employers must set up an online account, then download a PDF application.
After filling out the application (possibly with the help of a broker), business owners must print it out and mail it to London, Ky., where the paperwork is being processed manually.
After that, the Health and Human Services Department is supposed to contact employers and confirm that they’re eligible.
Then the company can select plans and offer employees coverage.
After workers decide whether or not to enroll, companies can finally submit their application online, and pay for the first month of their policies. Got it?
Small businesses with fewer than 50 employees don’t face penalties under the Affordable Care Act for not offering coverage, and they can buy health plans at any time. That’s not the case for individuals, who have to have obtain coverage by March 31 to avoid paying a penalty. Individuals are also limited by open-enrollment periods (to prevent people from buying insurance only when they get sick), which in 2014 also go through March 31.
http://www.businessweek.com/articles/2013-11-26/obamacares-small-business-marketplace-remains-stalled#r=lr-sr
Actually applying for small business coverage on healthcare.gov right now requires both online and offline steps.
Employers must set up an online account, then download a PDF application.
After filling out the application (possibly with the help of a broker), business owners must print it out and mail it to London, Ky., where the paperwork is being processed manually.
After that, the Health and Human Services Department is supposed to contact employers and confirm that they’re eligible.
Then the company can select plans and offer employees coverage.
After workers decide whether or not to enroll, companies can finally submit their application online, and pay for the first month of their policies. Got it?
Small businesses with fewer than 50 employees don’t face penalties under the Affordable Care Act for not offering coverage, and they can buy health plans at any time. That’s not the case for individuals, who have to have obtain coverage by March 31 to avoid paying a penalty. Individuals are also limited by open-enrollment periods (to prevent people from buying insurance only when they get sick), which in 2014 also go through March 31.
http://www.businessweek.com/articles/2013-11-26/obamacares-small-business-marketplace-remains-stalled#r=lr-sr