<\/p>\n
\n\u201cIn terms of hiring, the health care expenses contribute a huge, huge component to your cost of operation,\u201d Ms. Petrou says. So instead of bringing on full-time employees, she relied on contract workers. <\/p>\n
She is looking forward to getting price information online from the Small Business Health Options Program<\/a>, or SHOP, an exchange that was created by the new law. (Currently, business owners can obtain estimated SHOP prices online, but specific ones are only available by mail after filling out and mailing in a PDF downloaded from Healthcare.gov<\/a>. Some states, including California, have their own SHOP exchanges, and their procedures vary.) <\/p>\n
Ms. Petrou says the law could enable her to hire full-time employees, depending on the new costs of coverage. If so, she will either pay for a portion of the individual plans that her employees shop for on the exchange, or she may take advantage of tax credits and offer a small group plan. \u201cWe now have options to explore,\u201d she says. <\/p>\n
Some experts say this type of flexibility may have a big impact on the economy over all. <\/p>\n
\u201cAssuming we get the website working, it\u2019s going to be the biggest step we\u2019ve had in a long time in the U.S. in terms of changing the structure of the economy,\u201d says Craig Garthwaite<\/a>, assistant professor of management and strategy at Northwestern University\u2019s Kellogg School of Management. Mr. Garthwaite is a co-author of one<\/a> of two<\/a> recent studies that conclude that the Affordable Care Act could spur entrepreneurship by easing job lock \u2014 where people stay in a job mainly for the health insurance. <\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n