Federal Online Health Insurance Enrollment for Small Businesses Delayed for One Month

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At press time, national media outlets were reporting that the Obama administration was delaying by one month online enrollment in the federally operated Small Business Health Options (SHOP) health insurance exchanges. Online enrollment for small businesses will now open on November 1. Online enrollment for the federally operated individual exchanges are still scheduled to open on October 1 as planned, according to the Washington Post’s Wonkblog.

Starting October 1, small businesses wishing to enroll in the federally operated SHOP will have to mail, fax, or phone in their details to a federal call center, or wait until November 1 to enroll online, as reported by the Washington Post and NBC News. The Post noted that plans purchased through SHOP will still take effect on January 1, 2013.

In addition, the Washington Post’s On Small Business blog reported that Maryland announced it has delayed enrollment for its small-business exchange until January 2014, and that coverage under the plans offered in its exchange will not begin until March 2014 at the earliest. Enrollment was initially supposed to open on October 1.

To find out if your state has a state-run or federally run health insurance exchange, and for other key details about health care reform, go to ABA’s new health care reform advocacy page, or contact ABA Senior Public Policy Analyst David Grogan at (800) 637-0037, ext. 7562 or via e-mail.