How health-care reform helps small business and the self-employed.

• Author: Bragg-Gamble, Suzanne
• Position: Column

Federal health-care reform law will take a few years to fully implement. But if you work for yourself or run a small business, you may already be feeling the new law's impact.

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Here's a look at the most important benefits of the 2,400-page bill:

IF YOU'RE UNINSURED

For self-employed and unemployed people without health insurance, a new federally funded program offers a long-awaited means of coverage.

In July, the federal government set up a new insurance plan for uninsured people with medical conditions, called GettingUSCovered (www.gettinguscovered.org). Administered by Rocky Mountain Health Plans and CoverColorado, the program solves a frustrating problem for people who are or have been sick: It's almost impossible for them to buy health insurance.

While GettingUSCovered is not a low-income program, it makes health insurance available to people who have been denied coverage. Thanks to $90 million in federal subsidies, members pay the same rates as that of a healthy person of the same age and smoking status. The program is ideal for working people - such as self-employed consultants, marketers or Realtors - who live with manageable, chronic medical conditions and no longer want to risk their financial security by going without health insurance.

IF YOU'RE A FEMALE BUSINESS OWNER

For the past 20 years, women consistently have been launching new enterprises at twice the rate of men.

But when it comes to buying health insurance, female "solopreneurs" have been penalized. For instance, in Colorado, self-employed women starting a family couldn't buy comprehensive health insurance--maternity care was not offered. And some health plans rescinded coverage to women who signed up and later got pregnant or sick.

As of September, it was illegal for insurance companies to drop women if they got sick or decided to have a baby, except in cases of fraud. Starting next year, Colorado health plans in the individual market will be required to offer maternity coverage.

IF YOU OPERATE A SMALL COMPANY

The smallest companies struggle the most to provide health insurance for their employees because their rates are much higher than those of large employers.

To ease the burden, the new law includes tax credits, effective now, to help an estimated 68,000 eligible Colorado small businesses and nonprofits afford and maintain health insurance.

Businesses that pay more than half of the cost of...