Obama-care's here, for better or worse: businesses seek clarity on landmark legislation.

• Author: Melani, Debra
• Position: EMPLOYEE BENEFITS - Barack Obama

A year after President Obama's health-care reform was signed into law, frustration still reigns among many Colorado businesspeople. Pending lawsuits. Political bullying. Tenuous guidelines. These are just some of the reasons cited for their aggravation, with many in the state's work force saying the unknown distracts from focusing on the business at hand.

Despite the worries, many business and health-reform leaders report the first year under the Affordable Care Act in Colorado went fairly well. And some state officials (including Gov. John Hickenlooper in his inaugural address) have a plea for all the business folks out there: Ignore the rhetoric, accept the inevitability of some change, and join efforts in making the landmark legislation work best for the state and its businesses.

"Until the Congress or the courts decide otherwise, we have a responsibility to implement this and implement this well," said Lorez Meinhold, health policy director for Hickenlooper. "The current system doesn't work that well for small businesses, and this is a step in the right direction."

For the ranks in the business trenches, however, putting the distractions of political rhetoric and slow-motion bureaucracy aside isn't that easy.

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At Keller Bros. Auto in Littleton, executives consider insuring their 23 employees and their families a key to attracting and retaining a quality work force. But they are weary of the exaggerations, misinformation and stalemates resulting from political posturing, as the Republicans now set their sights on crippling the reform act by denying funding.

"We believe that it's very important for Congress to work these things through and decide what they are and aren't going to fund," said Keller Bros. COO David Rogers. "We really fear that things are not being revealed in a transparent way to those of us who are going to end up funding this. We were promised transparency and bipartisanship, and we aren't seeing any of that. Do I know what the truth is? No, ma'am, I wish I did."

Rogers' frustrations run deep in the business community, especially the fear of the unknown, according to William Lindsay, chairman for the Denver Metro Chamber of Commerce and an executive with Lockton Cos. "There's a great deal of angst out there in terms of understanding what the rules are, when they apply, and what they will mean," Lindsay said.

Some reforms slated for this year and 2012 - such as complicated notice-to-employee...