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Health & Fitness

What Does the Affordable Care Act Mean for Small Business Owners?

An educational program titled "Small Business and the Affordable Care Act" will be held on July 31 from 8 to 9 a.m at the Green Alliance, 75 Congress St, Suite 304, in downtown Portsmouth

There has been a great deal of confusion regarding what the Affordable Care Act means for businesses and how it will affect their future. The Supreme Court has determined the constitutionality of the Affordable Care Act, and small-business owners and individuals alike have questioned what this means for them.

The NH Citizens Alliance, together with the Green Alliance, is hoping to answer those questions in an educational program titled “Small Business and the Affordable Care Act.” The two groups are partnering with NH Voices for Health for the program, which will be held on July 31st from 8 to 9 a.m. at the Green Alliance, 75 Congress St, Suite 304, in downtown Portsmouth. The program will be a great opportunity to learn about tax credits for small businesses, health insurance exchange marketplaces, potential penalties and much more.

“There are many different aspects of the Affordable Care Act that can be very confusing. For example, how does the premium tax credit work for individuals and small-business owners, and what are the pros and cons of the act? What about the technicalities of the subsidies and penalties? We hope to help answer some of these questions for area businesses and employees,” says seminar organizer Karen Kelly of the NH Citizens Alliance. “We looked around to see what organizations are working closely with small businesses, and we knew it had to be the Green Alliance. We are thrilled they are hosting this and helping us to get the word out about it.”

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Local business owner Jay McSharry of Jumping Jays Fish Café and Dos Amigos will be on hand to answer any questions and share his experience, having recently received the tax credit connected to the Affordable Care Act. The breakfast meeting is free and open to the public, but space is limited so interested attendees should be sure to RSVP to kkelly@nhcitizensalliance.org.

“A crucial aspect of helping local sustainable businesses succeed is information sharing; this is a big part of what the Green Alliance does,” says GA Director Sarah Brown. “We want the green businesses in our communities to grow and expand, and dealing with health care for employees is a difficult piece of being a small-business owner. Our green Business Partners want to do the right thing for their employees and their communities, but they don’t want to break the bank doing it. We hope this seminar will provide business owners and employees with vital info on how to navigate the Affordable Care Act.”

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The program is hosted and sponsored by the Green Alliance and presented by the NH Citizens Alliance. The Green Alliance is a union of environmentally conscious businesses and individuals throughout the community. Partnering with over 100 local sustainable businesses, the GA offers members discounted green products and services and aims to increase the profits of local green businesses and the buying power of green-minded consumers.

To RSVP to the morning health-care session or for additional information, email kkelly@nhcitizensalliance.org or call 603-860-5273. There is limited space available so be sure to reserve your spot soon.

For more information about the Green Alliance, visit: www.greenalliance.biz.

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