Stopgap measure makes exchange only option for small employers in 2015, but permanent bill still pending; no ‘rate shock' seen A controversial plan to include all small businesses—including hundreds of associations and nonprofit groups—in the District of Columbia's new health exchange is a big step closer to reality. The D.C. Council unanimously passed short-term legislation June 4 requiring all employers of 50 or fewer people to purchase health insurance through the online marketplace in 2015, one year after startup. A permanent bill is still in the works, and the Council has until Oct. 1, 2014, to delay or change the timeline. Yvette Alexander, chair of the Council's… Read More