Will the health law ease job lock?

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May 10 2013

The Wall Street Journal writes how the health law's coverage expansions could provide entrepreneurs with a new source for health coverage.

The Wall Street Journal: Will Health Care Law Beget Entrepreneurs?
Thousands of would-be entrepreneurs are itching to start their own businesses, but many are shackled to their current employer by health care benefits they don't think they could otherwise afford. Economists call this phenomenon "job lock," or "entrepreneurship lock." But the pressure some Americans feel to cling to a corporate job chiefly for the health insurance could, conceivably, ease in coming years. Under provisions of the health care law, new business owners will be able to get coverage through public marketplaces, or "exchanges," beginning in October, for policies that will take effect starting in January (Maltby and Loten, 5/8).

Also, KHN offers two stories that examine particular health law provisions and changes they could trigger-

Kaiser Health News: Health Perks Geared To Top Workers Could Trigger Penalties Under Health Law
Many executives have long enjoyed perks like free health care and better health benefits for themselves and their families. But under a little noticed anti-discrimination provision in the federal health law, such advantages could soon trigger fines of up to $500,000 (Appleby, 5/9).

Kaiser Health News: California Weighs Expanded Role For Nurse Practitioners
As state governments get ready for the Affordable Care Act's coverage expansion, some are taking a close look at their networks of health care professionals to make sure they will be able to meet increased demands as more people gain health insurance. California is one of 15 states expected to consider legislation this year that would give advanced practice nurses more independence and authority (Bartolone, 5/9).

This article was reprinted from kaiserhealthnews.org with permission from the Henry J. Kaiser Family Foundation. Kaiser Health News, an editorially independent news service, is a program of the Kaiser Family Foundation, a nonpartisan health care policy research organization unaffiliated with Kaiser Permanente.

Posted in: Healthcare News

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