Issue link: http://www.insightdigital.biz/i/119013
insight on HEALTH INSURANCE By Tom Groe nfeldt Watchful waiting Employers wary about impact the Affordable Care Act will have come Oct. 1 S mall and mid-size business owners still have few details when it comes to how the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act, widely known as Obamacare, will affect their company health insurance plans. For now, many say they plan to continue with their existing health coverage and hope for the best. w w w. i n s i g h t o n b u s i n e s s . c o m Starting Oct 1, if the oft-moved deadline holds, companies with 50 or more employees working full time (defined as 30 hours or more per week) must provide health insurance or pay a $2,000 per person fine. ���It���s not changing how we do business,��� says Eric Blankenheim, managing member of Blankenheim Services, an ergonomics consultancy. ���We provide pretty good insurance to our people anyway. We are at about 45 employees, but I wouldn���t base a hiring decision on staying under 50.��� Dean Re, owner of MECA & Technology Machine in Green Bay, says his company currently employs fewer than 50, but he won���t [continued] �� A p r i l 2 013 ��� Insight | 29