Even if small business owners want to supply employee benefits for their workers through the federal or state-based exchanges, they won't be able to do it electronically at least for another year.
Just prior to the Thanksgiving holiday, the Department of Health and Human Services announced that small business owners – those who employ 50 workers or less – won't be able to use online enrollment services until 2015 at the earliest.
This doesn't preclude entrepreneurs from enrolling in other manners, however. HHS' Small Business Health Options Program, more commonly referred to as SHOP, is a marketplace that enables small business executives to shop for plans either over the phone, by talking to a customer service representative or filling out paperwork and mailing in through the postal service.
This online enrollment postponement is the latest in a long line of delays that have resulted since October when the sign-up period officially began. Earlier this year, HHS put off the employer mandate, allowing company managers who have 50 or more individuals on their staff to not supply coverage without penalty until 2015. Choices have also been reined in, as in March, HHS indicated that it wouldn't be offering employees multiple plans to choose from through the federal SHOP exchange, nor would there be an opportunity for premium aggregation in 2014 among employers.
Critics of the ACA have indicated that the delays and false starts are emblematic of a flawed piece of legislation that needs to be repealed.
"The president bit off more than he can chew with this health care law, and small businesses are now forced to bear the consequences," said House Majority Speaker John Boehner in a recent statement.
