Small Business for Kids Health
March 10, 2016
The Affordable Care Act provides new health coverage opportunities to small businesses. Small business owners may qualify for tax credits to offer coverage to their employees or can help connect employees and their families to no- or low-cost health coverage through Medi-Cal or Covered California. Helping your employees and their children get health insurance is important because studies show that when children have health insurance, their parents are less stressed, miss fewer days of work, and are more productive.
Two Affordable Opportunities
- Easily compare options and offer an affordable insurance plan. Through Covered California for Small Business (CCSB), you can get tax credits to help provide health coverage for employees and their dependents. To get individualized help to determine which options are best for your employees and their families, contact a Covered California Certified Insurance Agent in your area: bit.ly/coveredcaagents. You can apply for CCSB throughout the year: http://www.coveredca.com/forsmallbusiness/.
- Provide information about how your employees and their families can enroll in individual insurance through Medi-Cal or Covered California. If you do not offer insurance, you can provide information about how employees and their dependent children can get individual health insurance. Many uninsured children and families of employees working for small businesses may be eligible for no- or low-cost health coverage through Medi-Cal or for financial help through Covered California’s individual marketplace. For instance, a family of four with an income of less than $64,505 can have their kids’ coverage fully paid for through Medi-Cal. For more information, visit http://www.coveredca.com/medi-cal/. Individual plans through Covered California are available during the annual open enrollment period, November 1–January 31, or anytime during the year if a family experiences a qualifying life event, such as having a baby, getting married, or moving. Medi-Cal enrollment is available year round.
To connect families to health coverage, you can:
- Provide employees with Covered California materials at new employee orientation, and let them know what their children may quality for Medi-Cal at no or low cost.
- Contact a Covered California Certified Insurance Agent to meet with your employees, and help them and their families enroll in individual health insurance.
- Include information about health insurance with paychecks. Download a template at the link below.
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