Health law small business insurance shopping site delayed for 1 year

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This photo of part of the HealthCare.gov website page featuring information about the SHOP Marketplace is photographed in Washington, Wednesday, Nov. 27, 2013 The Obama administration is delaying yet another aspect of the health care law, putting off until next November the launch of an online portal to the health insurance marketplace for small businesses. The move was needed because repairs are still under way to the troubled HealthCare.gov website, which is the primary way for individuals to apply for insurance, and that has priority, federal officials said. (AP Photo/Jon Elswick)

CHICAGO – President Barack Obama’s administration has announced yet another delay in the rollout of the health care law. An online health insurance marketplace for small businesses is being put off until November 2014 to make sure the HealthCare.gov website gets fixed first.

According to an internal administration document obtained by The Associated Press, employers who want to buy marketplace plans for their workers now will need to go through an agent, broker or insurance company. The administration says the plan will allow small businesses to buy coverage, without slowing technical repairs to the hobbled federal site.

The marketplace was supposed to provide small businesses a new way to shop for coverage.

It’s the latest in a stream of missed deadlines, including a postponement for a Spanish sign-up tool announced this week.

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