I am a big proponent of entrepreneurship. I believe that everyone (who doesn’t already have a job that they are passionate about) should have a side project…for fun and/or profit. Sometimes those side jobs become your main job. That is what happened to me. I have been fortunate enough to build a work from home business around a couple of my passions (my family and teaching others what I learn) for the last decade. Along the way, I have mentored several other moms regarding starting and building their passion-based businesses. There are really only a few types of entrepreneurs that I won’t help. One type is people who want to be self-employed full-time without having health insurance – either personal or through their spouse. Rather, I encourage them to purchase health insurance first. Then, I’m absolutely willing to help.
I am not joking. I know that insurance can be costly, but it is necessary…especially when you have kids. Even with good insurance, medical expenses can be costly. I just think about the various visits that my husband Reggie, the kids and I took within the last year – optometrists, a dermatologist, my OB-GYN, a family physician, dentists and more. I have 2 kids with allergies and 1 has asthma, so there are seasonal visits in addition to their annual check-ups. Fortunately, Reggie is a teacher, so we are under his insurance. That helps a lot.
For the record though, I had my own health insurance since I graduated from college/way before I married Reggie. I never understood taking the risk of being uninsured if you have options. That is why I agreed to share some information about the EmblemHealth Health Care Reform Hub. (Reggie’s insurance provider just so happens to be an EmblemHealth company.)
It’s one thing if you’re a sole proprietor business owner and you just need to make sure that you have health insurance for you and your family. When you’re ready to add employees, you also need to consider how to offer affordable health insurance to your staff. The good news is that small business owners have options. You can purchase coverage for you and your employees through insurance agents and brokers or have your employees secure coverage on the individual marketplace exchange offered by the Affordable Care Act (ACA). Another option (that many small business owners are not aware of) is the Small Business Health Options Program (SHOP) – also known as the Small Business Marketplace in New York – that was introduced by the Affordable Care Act. (It is specifically for small businesses with employer tax credits not offered through the individual exchange.)
Several strong business organizations have partnered with EmblemHealth to help educate small business owners about SHOP. In addition, EmblemHealth has launched a Health Care Reform Hub which shares what New York small business owners need to know about the program. The site also offers a Tax Calculator to help business owners determine the tax credits that their business might be eligible to receive. (Owners might qualify to receive tax credits worth up to 50% of their contribution to employee premiums.)
If your New York state based small business has fewer than 50 employees, I definitely want to encourage you to browse the site and compare plans. There is a lot of flexibility – for both business owners (in their ability to control their contribution costs) and their employees (regarding different premiums and out-of-pocket costs). To learn more about SHOP and the options available for your small business, click here: http://www.emblemhealth.com/Health-Care-Reform-For-New-York/Small-Business.aspx
This is a sponsored blog; while the views expressed here are my own, I have received compensation from EmblemHealth to review information.