Some Small Businesses Frustrated By Health Insurance Tax-Credit Rules
The Wall Street Journal reports on how the health law's small business tax credit is working, while The Washington Post examines insurance rebates to consumers.
The Wall Street Journal: Health-Care Tax Credit Eludes Some
Hundreds of thousands of small businesses are excluded from claiming a health-care tax credit, and many blame overly narrow restrictions. "You're penalized for giving people a higher wage and a more professional opportunity," said Michael Griffin, whose St. Louis ad agency offers health-insurance coverage to its six full-time employees. ... Government offices and small-business advocacy organizations had projected that millions of employers would be eligible for the health-care tax credit when the health-care overhaul law passed in March 2010 (Maltby, 6/20).
The Washington Post: Health Insurance Plans Owe $1.1 Billion In Rebates
[The] Affordable Care Act rule requires insurance companies to spend at least 80 percent of subscriber premiums on health-care claims and quality improvement initiatives. The other 20 percent is left for administrative costs and profits. Health insurance plans that don’t hit that threshold will send a rebate to consumers to cover the difference. There could, however, be one big hitch. If the Supreme Court overturns the health-care law — a decision that could come as early as Thursday morning — experts say those checks are unlikely to hit Americans’ mailboxes (Kliff, 6/20).
