As  an employer I can tell you that all the health reform law to date has only increased my costs, reduced our options and has me as small business owner contemplating if I can afford to stay in business with all the new regulations, costs, taxes, etc. So If I have to pull the plug on my business after over 40 years all my employees are added the unemployment numbers and another small business is gone forever and never able to create jobs again.
– Terri, IL

As a practicing OB/GYN, I see the potential disaster the current health care law passed by President Obama will be.  The law will prevent physicians from individualizing health care as it pertains to the patient and, from all the red tape it will take to approve procedures and medicines, potentially prevents patients from expeditious and quality care. Please take to heart that physicians want to help their patients.  Not succumb to a system of managed care that takes the art out of medicine and will lead to more disgruntled patients.
– Vidya, GA

I am a small business owner and have been extremely concerned about the Health Care Bill that was ultimately signed into law.  I believe health care costs, and insurance premiums are out of control for a number of reasons, lawsuits being one of them. With all due respect, I have absolutely no faith in our government's ability to oversee and control health care, which is why I have been against this from the beginning.  I find it hard to get enthused about something that has been put together ultimately for me... and doesn't include ME! 
– Everett, NV

I have not hired any employees since the recession. I do not have a clear idea of what the impact for federal tax and healthcare programs will have on my small business. I cannot afford the current burden of reporting and tax let alone the assumed increase.
- Vaughn Business Systems

We are a small company in Kentucky. We have only 10 employees, six (6) of which are covered under our health insurance plan with Anthem. We just received our renewal notice. Our premium has gone up 43% in one year! Our broker says in his 40+ years of experience, this is the largest increase in premiums he has ever seen!  This means the cost of insurance for every employee covered has doubled! Makes me want to hire more people. NOT! The real kicker is we cannot make any changes in our policy, increase deductibles, or such, without losing our Grandfathered Right to keep this private insurance.
- "Angry in Kentucky"

We just received our renewal package from Independence Blue Cross with an astounding 53.83% increase. This is absolutely ridiculous and it seems like there is nothing I can do about it. I am ready to…show (not tell) show these elected officials, most of which never ran a company, how their decisions are hurting our nation’s economic engine – small business owners!
- Larry

The health care bill forces small businesses to provide health insurance whether or not they can afford it. Beginning in 2014, employers with more than 50 employees will be required to offer coverage or pay a $2,000 fine per employee if just one employee receives a subsidy to purchase insurance through newly created state health insurance exchanges. A firm's first 30 employees will be subtracted from this penalty payment calculation.

Even businesses with more than 50 employees that do offer health benefits will face a $3,000 fine for each full-time employee who opts out and receives a subsidy to purchase coverage through an exchange. Part-time employees are taken into account as full-time equivalents, defined as working 30 hours per week. The total employer penalty is capped at the maximum penalty amount it would face if it did not offer any coverage at all. An employer plan must cover a specific set of services to be determined by the government and meet actuarial standards laid out in the law.

It is estimated that nearly 220,000 small businesses employing more than 26 million workers could be subject to the employer mandate. As premiums rise, some businesses will decide that it makes sense to drop coverage and pay the fine. The Joint Committee on Taxation estimates that employers will pay $52 billion over 10 years in penalties for noncompliance. The Congressional Budget Office (CBO) projects that 3 million fewer Americans will be covered through employer plans in 2019.

What is the cost of the health care law on jobs? Click here to learn more.

• Employer Mandate Diagram
• Report: "Critical Employer Issues in the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act"
  
• Managing Plan Costs and Avoiding Penalties Under the New Health Care Law
  
• New Realities for Businesses in the Wake of the New Health Care Law
  
• Health Care Implementation Timeline
  
• Health-Related Benefits Under the New Health Care Law