The Business Council of Westchester (BCW) will offer one-on-one counseling to small business owners in the county as they navigate the state”™s new health care terrain shaped by the federal Affordable Care Act.
The Business Council has been named a “navigator” by the Community Service Society of New York (CSS) to assist Westchester businesses in complying with the nation”™s new health care regulations. The designation expands the BCW”™s work this year in educating the business community about the federal health care reform law and the New York Health Benefits Exchange, where individuals and businesses will be able to shop for qualified health plans in the private market.
The one-on-one sessions are designed to facilitate enrollment of uninsured New Yorkers into the state exchange.
Enrollment in the New York Exchange begins Oct. 1. Although businesses with more than 50 employees were recently granted a one-year extension that gives them until Jan. 1, 2015 to provide health insurance for employees, most New Yorkers will see changes in insurance coverage take effect on Jan. 1, 2014, when the state exchange is scheduled to launch.
Business Council officials in a press release said an estimated 1.1 million New Yorkers will gain health coverage through the state exchange. Individuals and families that purchase coverage directly through the exchange are expected to see their health insurance cost drop by as much as 50 percent. For small businesses, the cost to their employees for health insurance might drop by as much as 5 percent.
“Time is running out and there is still a lot of confusion out there with regard to the Affordable Care Act and the New York Health Benefits Exchange,” said Marsha Gordon, BCW president and CEO. “We have been active in bringing overall information to businesses. As navigators we”™ll be able to help individual businesses select the best plan for them.”
The Business Council is a subcontractor to the CSS, the nonprofit organization awarded a grant by the state Department of Health to provide in-person assistance and navigators at 350 sites in 61 counties statewide.
Navigators can help businesses understand coverage options and determine their eligibility for financial assistance, tax credits, Medicaid and Children”™s Health Insurance.
The Business Council invites all members of the county”™s business community to make an appointment with its navigators.
For more information or to schedule a workshop, contact John Ravitz, BCW executive vice president, at (914) 948-2110 or jravitz@westchesterny.org.
The Business Council of Westchester will host a health care summit Oct. 10 at the Crowne Plaza Hotel in White Plains.
