President Donald Trump might have purposely ousted the Affordable Care Act out of the spotlight, but the act, also referred to as Obamacare, is alive and well.

The ACA, enacted in 2010, aims to make affordable health insurance available to everyone. It also expands the Medicaid program and supports medical-care delivery. The act also requires individuals to pay a fee unless they have healthcare coverage. From Nov. 1 to Dec. 15 of each year, individuals are required to enroll.

In addition to the ACA, the Small Business Health Options (SHOPS) program was created to ensure that employees were able to obtain health insurance through their employers. Through SHOPS, employers are able to provide health and dental coverage to their employees throughout the year.

In order to do so, small businesses, nonprofits or other employers must have at least one full-time employee or equivalent and no more than 50 employees. They can choose to offer one or more health plan options for employees and are required to provide coverage for all employees within 90 days of the official start date.

Employers also have the option of setting to amount to pay for employee premiums.

 

For more information on how to use this act to your advantage as a small business owner visit Black Enterprise.