RNC Research

Enrollment In ObamaCare’s Small Businesses Exchange “Is Off To A Slow Start.” “Enrollment in ObamaCare health plans for small businesses is off to a slow start, leaving in doubt whether the U.S. program can attract enough customers to satisfy insurers.” (Alex Wayne, “ObamaCare Small-Business Plan Lags Behind In Face Of Cost,” Bloomberg, 1/17/14)

Many Small Businesses Have Chosen To Renew Existing Plans Rather Than Pay More For Less Generous Coverage On ObamaCare’s Small Business Exchange. “Greeted by higher premiums, less generous coverage and more paperwork, small businesses that offer health coverage to employees are choosing to renew existing plans rather than buy them through PresidentBarack Obama’s program.” (Alex Wayne, “ObamaCare Small-Business Plan Lags Behind In Face Of Cost,” Bloomberg, 1/17/14)

• A Kentucky Insurance Broker Said Some Small Business Health Plans Offered On The ObamaCare Exchange Carry Premiums As High As 90 Percent. “Part of the lag can also be blamed on SHOP plans that are too expensive, with premiums as much as 90 percent higher than what some firms paid last year, according to John Humkey, the owner of Employee Benefit Associates Inc., a Lexington, Kentucky-based insurance broker.” (Alex Wayne, “ObamaCare Small-Business Plan Lags Behind In Face Of Cost,” Bloomberg, 1/17/14)

For States That Have Released Data, Enrollment Numbers Are “Lousy”

“In Kentucky, Just 14 Companies Signed Up For ObamaCare’s Small Business Plans As Of Jan. 1, While Colorado Enrolled 101, And Connecticut 106.” (Alex Wayne, “ObamaCare Small-Business Plan Lags Behind In Face Of Cost,” Bloomberg, 1/17/14)

• In New York, Only 5,000 Small Business Employees Are Covered By A Plan Offered By The State’s Small Business Exchange. “Exchanges in larger states aren’t doing much better with their business plans. In New York, about 5,000 employees of small businesses have enrolled in the SHOP exchange, James O’Hare, a spokesman for the state’s Department of Health, said in an e-mail.” (Alex Wayne, “ObamaCare Small-Business Plan Lags Behind In Face Of Cost,” Bloomberg, 1/17/14)

The Chief Executive Of Connecticut’s ObamaCare Exchange Called The Enrollment Numbers “Lousy.” “‘Lousy,’ said Kevin Counihan, the chief executive officer of Connecticut’s health exchange, Access Health CT. ‘We’ve done a very good job on the individual side. We’ve dropped the ball on the small-business side.’” (Alex Wayne, “ObamaCare Small-Business Plan Lags Behind In Face Of Cost,” Bloomberg, 1/17/14)

Enrollment Data For A Majority Of States Remains Unavailable To The Public

According To The Centers Of Medicare And Medicaid Services, Small Business Enrollment Data Is Unavailable For The 36 States That Are Served By The Federal ObamaCare Exchange. “No figures are available for small-business enrollment in the federal exchange, which serves 36 states including Texas and Florida, Aaron Albright, a spokesman for the U.S. Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, said by phone.” (Alex Wayne, “ObamaCare Small-Business Plan Lags Behind In Face Of Cost,” Bloomberg, 1/17/14)

• California’s State-Based ObamaCare Exchange “Has Yet To Provide A Look At Its Small-Business Market.” “California, the most populous U.S. state, has enrolled about 500,000 people in its individual exchange. It has yet to provide a look at its small-business market. The state will report small-business participation ‘later this month,’ Anne Gonzales, a spokeswoman for Covered California, said in an e-mail.” (Alex Wayne, “ObamaCare Small-Business Plan Lags Behind In Face Of Cost,” Bloomberg, 1/17/14)