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Written by Yolanda Garcia Olivarez   
Wednesday, 28 July 2010 08:24

For decades, America’s small business owners have asked for more affordable health insurance coverage and more tax relief.  The new health reform law – the Affordable Care Act – provides both.

First, it offers tax credits for small employers who pay at least half of their employees’ health insurance premiums.  Starting this year, businesses with less than 25 employees who make an average of $50,000 or less may be eligible for a credit of up to 35 percent of the premiums they pay on their employee’s behalf.  For small nonprofits, it’s up to 25 percent.

In 2014, those credits will increase to up to 50 percent and 35 percent, respectively. 

Also in 2014, health insurance “exchanges” for small businesses will open in every state.

Currently, small businesses pay as much as 18 percent more than large firms for the same coverage.  The exchanges will allow businesses with as many as 100 employees to pool their risk together, lower their administrative costs, and negotiate more effectively with insurance companies.  According to the Congressional Budget Office, this could help drive down premiums by as much as 4 percent in the marketplace of small-business health plans.

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The tax credits and the exchanges are just two of the new tools that will help small businesses get health insurance, some for the first time.

Even if a small business owner with 50 or fewer employees still decides not to buy health insurance with these incentives, there is no penalty.  They’re exempt from the employer responsibility provision of the new law.  In this case, small business workers will be able to use individual tax credits to shop for insurance in the exchanges. And it’s important to note that 96 percent of businesses with more than 50 employees already offer coverage.

Finally, the new law will go a long way toward strengthening America’s entrepreneurial spirit, overall.

For example, it will outlaw pre-existing conditions, giving more Americans the ability to break out of “job lock” and start their own companies.  Prospective entrepreneurs shouldn’t be held back just because they fear losing their employer-sponsored coverage.  The new law will also prohibit insurance companies from dramatically increasing premiums for a small business just because one worker gets sick.

Overall, the Affordable Care Act is a critical tool that will help millions of small business owners provide health insurance to people who they often consider to be members of their extended family – their employees.

As a nation, we owe them nothing less as they work to grow, create jobs, and lead us toward full economic recovery.

For more information about how the Affordable Care Act will help your small business, visit www.healthcare.gov.

Yolanda Garcia Olivarez is the SBA Regional Administrator, Region VI (Texas, Arkansas, Louisiana, New Mexico, and Oklahoma)

We invite all of you to get a discussion going.  Please submit your comments at the end of this article, Thanks.


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Vice President
written by Small Business Owner, July 30, 2010
We also own a small service business and have been trying to renew our heath insurance. Our rates are increasing astronomically! As you guessed it, our commercial customers' rates are also increasing. No one dares increase our charges, because the economy is so tight we will loose what business we have left. So our operating expenses increase by 30% - where is the money coming from? It's a joke that our taxes will decrease - it's only going to get worse!
The BUSH tax credits will expire at the end of this year, so all of us small business owners will suffer the consequences of that.
Obama is going to use his executive powers to grant Amnesty to all the illegals in this country before the election so he buys all those votes and sets the course to completely ruin the capitalist economy.
Keep all this in mind between now and November - CONTACT YOUR SENATORS AND YOUR REPRESENTATIVES AND TELL THEM NOW!!!
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Owner
written by Jason Hinshaw, July 30, 2010
Here are many more reasons than the one given in this article that like MANY other acts of this Federal Government are even lies in name - "Affordable Care Act"

1. Simple math is the key. You are forced to buy a product which is an additional cost to doing business and your bottom line which in-turn equals cuts in other areas such as new employees or cutting paid hours or other benefits. Negative effect!

2. You could face penalties and/or jail time is you don't buy in to the plan and pay your IRS taxes. What happened to personal liberties and FREEDOM of choice! Negative effect!

3. As the article author states "According to the Congressional Budget Office, this could help drive down premiums by as much as 4 percent in the marketplace of small-business health plans." How do you insure so many people who have previous conditions which WILL burden the system more yet have a reduced rate? You say more paying to the system will out weigh the cost? Well I say that the people that will be brought in by this system will be those of high cost and will drive rates even higher, but again this number is produced by a Federal Government organization and they never miss track money or lie to us, RIGHT?

4. The article also states that exchanges are a new thing that this bill offers. That is 'False', their are all ready private and state exchanges that small business owners can participate in to relieve some cost pressures but better than that with this forum being business focused why not encourage competition and open the state borders for cross-state coverage option? Competition, well that wouldn't be democratic would it??

Why do you think ALL of the comments on this page are against the so called "Affordable Care Act"? Because it can not be affordable if you are forced to buy something you may not be able to afford. The name is a lie in itself.
I own a small commercial cleaning company and actually employ all English speaking US citizens, which as you may believe is very hard, but how will adding taxes to my business while other business that employ illegal/non-documented works do not have to pay HELP ME OR MY COMPANY?!?! Maybe if we actually did something about those breaking the law right now I could raise my rates enough to provide health care to my hard working employees and maybe even get coverage myself. But the Federal Government drops the ball again and it doesn't matter if it is Democrat or Republican they BOTH tax and spend us into oblivion.

Jason
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owner
written by Earlene, July 29, 2010
Isn't there any help for the self employed who have no employees? We have no chance of any group policies, and kneal to the few insurance companies who even offer individual policies, not to mention the high rates for one person.
Where is the supposed help for us.......There are so many of us in Texas !!!
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Vice-President
written by Cecilia Gonzales, July 29, 2010
The Affordable Care Act will definitely deter employers from hiring more than 50 employees to avoid the mandated costs or penalties for employees that decline the coverage. I'm outraged because the average citizen of America has NO IDEA OR CLUE how this Act will affect them in the end. Less hours, a fine by the IRS should you opt out of coverage, because remember, it will be the law, mandatory to have health insurance. The Act will virtually eliminate Insurance Agents, Temporary Employment Companies, and the list goes on and on. The Government will grow even larger and impose on our ability to run our businesses and continue to create jobs. This Act requires more paperwork by the companies HR, payroll, and accounting departments. Penalties loom at every turn with this bill and creates much more mandated paperwork and auditing for business owners. The small business owners of America will suffer and become virtually extinct thanks to this administration. I voted for Obama and was stupid enough to drink the kool-aid, but no more! I'm doing everything I can to get this Act abolished or greatly tweaked by contacting my state representatives and senators. Be scared, very scared. The woman who wrote the column has obviously not read or educated by what this Act truly means to employers and the future of all Americans.
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E TX Business Owner
written by CB, July 29, 2010
As an owner in 2 very small businesses, we will be exempt from most of these so-called "benefits" as stated but we'll definitely be paying all of the tax increases. We have always had our own private insurance and pay our employees a little more than "market" so they can purchase their own insurance. We are all going to be penalized by this "Act" because our rates are already skyrocketing and will do nothing but get worse. We have had an individual, high-deductible, HSA-account-eligible policy for many years that will no longer be allowed. We are going to have to pay for coverage that we neither want nor will use in order to support other irresponsible people. AFFORDABLE, my a**. Why is this liberal whacko drinking the Obama kool-aid being allowed to write this garbage on this website? I'm truly considering killing this subscription now.
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owner
written by Seal, July 29, 2010
We are in the process of trying to renew our health insurance now. We experienced a much larger increase in premiums than we have in the past. Gosh... I wonder why smilies/wink.gif smilies/wink.gif smilies/wink.gif. We are looking at offering a greatly reduced benefit and are dropping from paying 70% to paying 50% of the cost for employee insurance. This is the result of Obamacare. To call it "Affordable Care Act" is ridiculous. It is causing cost to rise and coverage to fall. And by the way, did you notice that businesses now have to pay for insurance for the employee that quit for several months after they are gone? That's another penalty of this bill that has not been publicized. Benefits? Not from this bill.
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President
written by laurie, July 29, 2010
This is simply not the full picture for small business America. I am small buisness America. I have 14 full time employees and 75+ part time/temp employees. The new Health Care Act does little if anything to help me and it cuts me in about 5 different ways. Because I play by the rules and treat field staff as employees (per federal mandate and contrary to what my employees do), I am penalized. Because I'm a service business and I pay my people well, we don't get any assistance on tax credits. All this bill does is cost me a ton of money that I don't have to pay. And I am such a typical small business employer. As a result, I for one (of MANY) will be doing everything possible to avoid hiring more people so... this bill... is a JOB KILLER.
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