Many companies that have renewals later this year are going to be allowed to keep their plans that they have now for the 2015 year. This is what SB 1446 is all about. This bill was introduced to help smaller companies, under 50 employees, to transition to an ACA (Affordable Care Act) plan a little slower. Previously all companies were mandated to have an ObamaCare compliant plan in place by the end of the year 2014. There has been so much turbulence in the industry that someone actually used their head and gave employers a pass for 2015. This only applies to the companies with Health Insurance that renews in October, November, December of 2014. The groups that have Group Health Insurance that has either renewed or already signed up for a 2014 plan are out of luck.
Proponents of ObamaCare are not happy with the SB1446, saying it is not fair
Many of the people and entities that support the Affordable Care Act and ObamaCare are angry with the decision to postpone the smaller companies with Health Insurance until 2016. They are saying that to make ObamaCare work right, everyone needs to get on board. That may be true, but to ease into it, as the legislature is doing, is a good thing. Change is not easy. Employer groups that offer Health Insurance to their companies should get breaks whenever possible. Especially since the smaller employers, under 50 employees, are not mandated to offer Health Insurance in the first place. Why not help them as much as possible.
Smaller employers will never be mandated to offer coverage to employees
Since ObamaCare began in 2010, they made it clear that the intention of the law was not to punish smaller employers that offer Health Insurance to their workers. The law wanted to target larger companies and mandate them to offer coverage. Because of that, smaller companies that offer Health Insurance have been given a one year pass. They can keep their 2013 or prior plan through the 2015 year. Most times that is a good thing, but not always. If the company is very small and has a high Rate Adjustment Factor, it may make sense to move to a 2014 plan, where there is no rating. Companies with 45 employees have the same rate as companies with 5 employees. Fair? You decide.