After the SHOP (Small Business Health Options Program) website was launched for testing in five states this past week, defects were soon uncovered, including approved health plans that failed to appear in searches and an inability to render the pages correctly on Internet Explorer and Firefox. Google Chrome was the one browser that loaded the site correctly.
The SHOP website is actually a sub-site on HealthCare.gov that is accessed by a “Small Businesses” tab at the top of the home page. States participating in the health care exchange/marketplace program also have SHOP options online.
Originally scheduled to debut in October 2013 so small businesses could search for affordable health insurance, the SHOP function failed to even operate and was disabled for repair. A year later and there are still problems, but administration officials claim everything should be fixed in time for the official nationwide launch on Nov. 15, the first day of open enrollment for Obamacare health plans for 2015.
With the Obamacare Marketplaces set to launch the 2015 Open Enrollment period on Nov. 15, it’s a good time to post Personnel Concepts’ All-On-One ACA Information Center Poster to keep your employees up to date.