States are obligated by the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act to host an online health insurance marketplace for individuals and another for small groups, known as small business health options programs, or SHOPs. SHOPs originally were required by Oct. 1 this year to allow small employers to select either one health plan for the whole company or pick multiple plans at a certain benefit level to offer employees to choose for themselves.
HHS has said its version of a SHOP exchange will be online by the Oct. 1 deadline for at least 33 states that decided against building their own, but HHS will not be able to offer multiple plan options for enrollees by that date.
As a result, the agency proposed in April and made official last week a delay to the multiple-option requirement for SHOPs until 2015, although SHOPs still must allow employers to choose at least one plan by Oct. 1 this year and employers of 50 or more full-time equivalent employees still must offer workers health insurance next year or pay fines.
More Articles on Health Insurance Exchanges:
UnitedHealth CEO: Early Exchange Enrollees May Be Costliest
Insurers Show Disparate Interest in State Exchanges
UnitedHealth, Aetna, Cigna to Sit Out of California’s Health Insurance Exchange
At the Becker's 11th Annual IT + Revenue Cycle Conference: The Future of AI & Digital Health, taking place September 14–17 in Chicago, healthcare executives and digital leaders from across the country will come together to explore how AI, interoperability, cybersecurity, and revenue cycle innovation are transforming care delivery, strengthening financial performance, and driving the next era of digital health. Apply for complimentary registration now.