The National Healthcare Debate is Bad for Your Health

We developed the following article for the Austin Entrepreneur Network. 

Click here for more info on our upcoming series, 10 Ways to Simplify Employee Benefits.

Admit it — your head hurts from the endless back-and-forth coverage of the national healthcare reform debate. By now everyone with any kind of media access whatsoever is feeling the effects of “healthcare fatigue.” We’re all tired of hearing about it, but many business owners are also intensely concerned about what drastic changes such reform may have on their ability to offer health benefits to their employees.

Despite all the alarm in the air, it’s important to remember that not everything is changing.  Healthcare  benefits programs for small to mid-sized businesses will operate pretty much they way they always have, at least until 2014. Even after 2014, when the major changes under the health care reform law occur, there will be no requirement for employers of less than 51 employees to offer health insurance and no penalty for failing to do so.

Unfortunately, health care inflation is another reality that shows no real sign of slowing down. Price creep in the delivery of health care services and in the health insurance market will be a major challenge whether or not the law is changed or repealed. Small businesses still face ongoing challenges in keeping their program costs affordable, and that’s where we can help.

As a “booster shot” against healthcare fatigue, we’re launching an upcoming blog series,“10 Ways to Simplify Employee Benefits,” in conjunction with a webinar presentation we’re delivering on May 12 from 10am-11am through the Business Resource Center of the Business Bank of Texas.

In this series we’ll explore practical methods for streamlining your company’s approach to employee health benefits. You’ll learn how you can help control costs and make healthcare more convenient for all concerned. You’ll even discover new ways to boost your employees’ productivity! So stay tuned to this blog — and if you’d also like to participate in the webinar, you can register for it here.