With the passage of healthcare reform on the national level, the debate now shifts to the state level where several parts of the new law will be implemented. From the state insurance exchange to the high-risk pools, many important decisions will be made in California that affect small businesses. As California remains a national leader on healthcare issues, Small Business Majority is working closely with small business owners and policymakers in the state to ensure that these reforms are implemented in the most effective and beneficial way possible. We'll be updating this page regularly with information about what healthcare reform means to California small businesses and how the legislature, media and small business owners and organizations are responding to this historic reform.
NOTE: New Preexisting Condition Insurance Plan for Californians
If you've been without health insurance for at least six months and have a preexisting condition, you might be able to enroll in the state's new Preexisting Condition Insurance Plan (formerly referred to as the high-risk pool). Although details are still being finalized, you can now sign up to receive an application for the plan when it becomes available.
Email your request to PCIP@mrmib.ca.gov and include your name, address, phone number and email address. For more information, visit www.mrmib.ca.gov.
California healthcare tax credit study
Small businesses are the backbone of California’s economy. Across the state, there are more than 570,000 businesses that employ 25 workers or fewer. They’re your local diner, the hardware store down the street and your neighborhood mechanic. While small businesses have been serving us, our health care system has been failing them, making it difficult—if not impossible—to provide their workers with quality, affordable health coverage. Under the new healthcare reform law, businesses with fewer than 25 employees and average wages of less than $50,000 will be eligible to receive a tax credit for the health insurance they provide their employees. In July 2010, Small Business Majority and Families USA commissioned a study that found that nearly 80% of California small businesses will be eligible to receive a tax credit in 2010.
View the report (PDF)
Listening tour events
Upcoming events:
Please join us at the following locations to participate in an interactive discussion on the nation’s new healthcare reform law and what it means for small businesses. The free, informal events will include a panel discussion on healthcare reform topics pertinent to small businesses including tax credits, creation of a health insurance exchange, cost control, insurance reform, and wellness and prevention. An extensive question and answer session will follow.
To RSVP, please contact David Chase at dchase@smallbusinessmajority.org.
09.14.2010 9:00am – 10:30am
Pleasanton, CA
Pleasanton Chamber of Commerce
777 Peters Avenue, Pleasanton, CA 94566
09.17.2010 8:30am – 10:30am
Santa Clarita, CA
Small Business Development Center
University Center on the College of the Canyons
26455 Rockwell Canyon Road, Santa Clarita, CA 91355
09.23.2010 8:00am – 9:30am (registration begins at 7:45am)
Los Angeles, CA
Los Angeles Area Chamber of Commerce
350 South Bixel Street Los Angeles, CA 90017
Past events:
08.23.2010, San Francisco, CA
Healthcare Reform and California Small Businesses
Small Business Majority brought its listening tour to the San Francisco Chamber of Commerce to where about 40 businesspeople participated in a discussion about the impacts of the new federal healthcare law. The discussion ranged from tax credits and cost containment to increased prevention and transparency, and Small Business Majority will be sharing this feedback with policymakers.
The event featured presentations from Small Business Majority’s CEO, John Arensmeyer, Dr. Micah Weinberg of the New America Foundation and Katie Marcellus, Assistant Secretary of California’s Health and Human Services Agency.
View slides from the panel presentations (PDF)
08.17.2010, Santa Cruz, CA
Healthcare Reform and California Small Businesses
On August 17, Small Business Majority partnered with the Santa Cruz Chamber of Commerce, the Santa Cruz Downtown Association and the Small Business Development Center at Cabrillo College to bring the California Listening Tour to Santa Cruz. About 50 small business owners, employees and self-employed entrepreneurs came together to discuss the effects of national healthcare reform. Topics discussed included immediate impacts such as tax credits for employers who offer health insurance as well as provisions that will be rolled out over the coming years such as the state healthcare exchange, a new marketplace for employers to purchase private health coverage.
The event began with presentations from Small Business Majority’s California outreach manager, David Chase, and the New America Foundation’s senior research fellow, Dr. Micah Weinberg. Afterwards, the audience provided critical feedback for the panelists to share with our policymakers.
View slides from the panel presentations (PDF)
05.27.10, San Diego, CA
Healthcare Reform and California Small Businesses
Approximately 55 people filled the San Diego Chamber of Commerce's Golden Board Room on May 27 for a discussion on what the new healthcare reform law means for small businesses. The event was the first in a series Small Business Majority will be holding throughout the state over the next few months. The goal of the listening tour is to provide information and guidance to small business owners on provisions of the law that will affect them, including the new healthcare premium tax credits that can be claimed in the 2010 tax year, as well as high-risk pools, insurance reforms, the state insurance exchange, and other issues. At the same time, we are gathering questions, concerns and feedback from participants to convey to policymakers who will be implementing reform, ensuring that small business voices are heard as tools and processes are being developed and plans are being made.
The San Diego event began with a panel featuring John Arensmeyer of Small Business Majority, Micah Weinberg, senior research fellow at the New America Foundation, and Charlene Zettel, director of the Governor’s San Diego Office; the panel was followed by an extensive question-and-answer session.
View slides from the panel presentations (PDF)
Legislative updates
Bills currently awaiting approval or veto from the Governor relating to small businesses and healthcare:
- AB 1602 (Perez) — California Patient Protection and Affordable Health Choices Act
Creates the California Cooperative Health Insurance Purchasing Exchange (Cal-CHIPE) and expands dependent coverage under private insurance to age 26. - AB 1759 (Blumenfield) — Healthcare Coverage: Premium Rates
Prohibits health plans from using a change in demographics or enrollment as the basis for a premium rate change in the group market during the length of a contract. - AB 2042 (Feuer) — Prohibiting Mid-Year Rate Hikes
Prohibits insurers and HMOs from changing or increasing premiums, cost sharing or benefits in the individual market more often than once a year. - SB 56 (Alquist) — Health Plans: Joint Ventures
Authorizes certain county-organized health plans and various other health benefits programs to form joint ventures to create integrated networks of public health plans that pool risk and share networks or to provide for the coordinated offering of health plans to individuals and groups. - SB 900 (Alquist) — Creating a California Health Insurance Exchange
Establishes the California Health Insurance Exchange within the California Health and Human Services Agency to make health coverage available, and creates the California Health Insurance Exchange Fund to be governed by a board appointed by the Legislature.
Bills currently in the California State Legislature relating to small businesses and health care reform:
- AB 2578 (Jones) — Regulating Health Insurance Rates
Requires approval by the Department of Managed Health Care or the Department of Insurance for an increase in the amount of the premium, copayment, co-insurance obligation, deductible, and other charges under a healthcare service plan or health insurance policy.