Small Businesses Get Ready: Ineffectual Employer Mandate Is About to Hit You

More companies will fall under Obamacare’s employer mandate in a few months. For these smaller companies—many without dedicated human resources staff—collecting information and buying health plans that meet federal requirements will be costly and time-consuming, and offer expensive surprises, The Associated Press reports:

Companies with 50 to 99 full-time employees must offer affordable insurance to employees and their dependents starting Jan. 1. They must also file tax forms with the government by Jan. 31 detailing the cost of their coverage and the names and Social Security numbers of employees and their dependents. While companies of all sizes are subject to the law must file the forms, smaller businesses without big staffs to handle the paperwork may have to hire someone to do it — at a cost of hundreds or thousands of dollars.  Read more