Time to Eliminate Open Enrollment Deadline and Delay Individual Mandate Penalty

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CONTACT:  Kristofer Eisenla, Luna Eisenla Media
kristofer@eisenlamedia.com | 202-670-5747 (mobile)

Amidst Structural and Technological Glitches, Small Business Owners and Individual American’s Need More Time and Education

WASHINGTON, DC – As the House Committee on Ways and Means holds a hearing this morning on the Status of the Affordable Care Act Implementation, Katie Vlietstra, Director of Government Affairs for The National Association for the Self-Employed (NASE), the nation’s leading advocate and resource for the self-employed and micro-businesses, called on the U.S. Congress and the Administration to “immediately eliminate the open enrollment deadline and delay the individual mandate penalty for one-year.”  The NASE submitted an official statement for the record for today’s U.S. House Ways and Means Committee hearing that advocates for immediate and swift action eliminating the open enrollment period and delaying the individual mandate penalty.   

“The launch of the new health care Exchanges have been marred in structural and technical glitches from day one when the focus should be on providing access to affordable health care,” said Katie Vlietstra, NASE’s Director of Government Affairs. “Eliminating the open enrollment deadline would allow adequate time for small businesses and American’s nationwide to become better informed about the options available and costs associated with the new health care plans. Delaying the individual mandate penalty will put individual American’s – including the self-employed – on a level playing field with the rest of the business community, who have already won a reprieve from the Administration for one-year.”

The NASE recently conducted a survey of its membership that indicated that over half of the respondents were unsure if they would enroll in the new health care Exchanges. The NASE is currently conducting a post-enrollment survey of its membership, in which the findings will be released soon.

RESOURCES FOR INDIVIDUALS AND THE SELF-EMPLOYED

The More You Know Infographic offers topline advice for America’s 23 million self-employed and micro-businesses as they prepare for the opening of the federal and state health care Exchanges. The NASE has been supporting the small business communities around the country become better informed about how to approach the upcoming open enrollment period.

Affordable Care Act in Brief highlights how the new health care law will impact 23 million self-employed and micro-businesses nationwide. It outlines the pros and cons of health care coverage small businesses must consider while underlining the lack of information in the public domain about the health care law, the Exchanges and details of enrollment requirements.