House Small Business Committee Chairman Rep. Sam Graves (R-Mo.) recently said that delay of the Small Business Health Options Program enrollment component of the Affordable Care Act will have an adverse affect on small business owners.
The SHOP marketplace is intended to make it easier for small business owners to offer health coverage to their employees by allowing them to choose a level of coverage and premium payments that fit their needs.
Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Administer Marilyn Tavenner testified before the House Ways and Means Committee in October that SHOP would be functional by the end of November.
In the wake of the recent announcement that SHOP enrollment would be delayed, Graves and a collation of legislators have expressed concern that employers will face adverse effects.
“…News of yet another last-minute delay is more proof that the law is unworkable and bad for small businesses…” Graves said.
Graves added that a report he requested from the Government Accountability Office on the readiness of SHOP concluded that the program would likely face implementation challenges.
Other components of the Affordable Care Act have been delayed as well. The signup deadline for the federal exchange was recently pushed back from Dec. 15 to Dec. 23.
Graves called delays associated with the Affordable Care Act “especially frustrating.”