Online Tools to Help You Find and Price Small Business Health Care Insurance Options

Online Tools to Help You Find and Price Small Business Health Care Insurance Options

by Caron_Beesley, Community Moderator

We all have questions about the Affordable Care Act, whether it's deciphering facts from myths or trying to understand what your options for health care coverage are now and in the future.

As small business owners, getting the right information from a credible resource is critical. One new tool is the U.S. Small Business Administration's health care web page, www.sba.gov/healthcare, dedicated to educating small business owners about the Affordable Care Act. The site is a gateway for small businesses connecting them with information provided by SBA's federal partners responsible for implementing the law, including the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS).

HHS's web portal – Healthcare.gov – is another valuable resource that provides information and tools to help individuals and employers understand how the Affordable Care Act will impact them.

The site also aims to make comparison shopping for health insurance a whole lot easier, using basic personalization features that help you determine plan options, pricing information and eligibility.

Here's a breakdown of some of the tools and features that you can find at Healthcare.gov.

Understand the Affordable Care Act as a Small Business Owner

What does the health care law mean to you? Check out these resources that explain the key provisions of the law plus an overview of what is changing and when.

For a clear overview of how the law impacts small businesses, the Small Businesses and the Affordable Care Act guide breaks down the top things you need to know, including information about the following:

• The Small Business Tax Credit and your eligibility to claim it.
• Affordable Insurance Marketplaces, known as the Small Business Health Options Program (SHOP), will open on January 1, 2014 and give small employers buying power—similar to what large businesses have to get better choices and lower prices. The SHOP Marketplaces will work with new insurance reforms and tax credits provided by the Affordable Care Act to help lower barriers to offering health insurance that small employers face. Visit Healthcare.gov's small business landing page for the latest information on SHOP, and review the get-ready checklist for small business owners. Enrollment in SHOP begins on October 1, 2013.

This useful Small Business Q&A also helps you understand your rights and responsibilities as a small business owner.

Find Healthcare Insurance Options for Your Small Business

Looking for insurance for yourself or your employees? Healthcare.gov's Insurance Finder organizes and presents information and pricing collected from insurers to help you better understand your options. Enter some basic data and the tool will filter your options accordingly.

Assess and Compare Quality of Care

Healthcare.gov also lets you compare the quality of care provided by the institutions that administer healthcare prevention and treatment services using the Compare Care Providers tool.

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