Small businesses using the SHOP exchange are supposed to decide how much they will contribute to workers’ health coverage, and then let the employees choose from a menu of plan choices through the exchange, instead of having the employer choose the health plan. But that “employee choice” option was delayed – and then delayed again in 18 states until at least 2016. Most of the state-run exchanges have gone ahead with it. Without employee choice, there is less incentive for small businesses to switch to the exchange.
