Well, for better or worse, the healthcare bill has been signed into law. There is no immediate benefit in being angry. There are a number of legal actions started by various Attorneys General alleging that the reforms are unconstitutional. Even if some of these cases succeed on the issue of mandatory insurance for private individuals, this will not necessarily strike down the whole bill. The likelihood is we will be left with all the provisions dealing with small businesses. Keeping it real, we have to start planning for the future on the law as it is. The good news is that the main raft of provisions will not become active until 2014. This gives the lawmakers plenty of time to have second thoughts. Just as important, there are sets of regulations to be written clarifying the detail of how some of the new features are to work at state level. However, this is an outline of what we can expect.

The states are to establish SHOP exchanges where small businesses can group together and buy insurance. For these purposes, until 2016, a business is considered small when it has no more than 50 employees, with states having the option of increasing the limit to 100 employees. To calculate numbers, you pro-rate the full- and part-time employees. Independent analysts predict group premiums will drop no more than 4%, while the value of the cover will rise by up to 3%. To bridge until the exchanges are operating, a tax credit system will come into force. If your business has less than ten employees with an average annual pay of less than $25,000, the credit is 35% of the health plan cost. There are partial credits where the number of employees is less than 25 and their average annual pay is less than $50,000. When the exchanges start, the credit increases to 50% for the first two years.

With immediate effect, there are a ban on terms designed to cap the value of claims, and limits on the right of insurers to cancel policies except in cases where actual fraud can be proved. As from 2014, the insurers must accept all employees without regard to pre-existing conditions. Their calculation of premium rates can only be based on location, age and whether an individual smokes. As from 2014, small businesses with more than 50 employees will be required to provide a health plan or pay an annual penalty of $750 for every full-time employee denied cover. This can rise to $2,000 if coverage is still denied.

So, tomorrow, you will be going out into the same market as before the reform bill became law. Finding cost-effective small business insurance will continue to be a struggle. Indeed, many insurers may increase premiums now so that, when the SHOP exchanges do come into force, they have a margin to play with to deal with the competition. However, when you buy, check that the new terms on the total value claimable and restrictions on the right to cancel have been introduced. If you buy your small business insurance through an agent, ask direct questions. It saves time fighting over whether wording is unlawful later on.

The British Shorthair, sometimes also known as the European Shorthair, is a cat breed of enormous popularity! Resembling a cuddly teddy bear, this charming cat achieved the mantle of most popular in the U.K. when it overtook the Siamese in 1999; quite an achievement!

The lineage of the British Shorthair can be traced back to Roman times; they cross-bred with feral felines and it wasn’t until the nineteenth century that they were officially recorded as a species. They were also cross-bred with Persians in an attempt to improve the quality of their coats.

This breed has thick, rich coats with crisp contours, coming in a wide range of colors, including blue, white, cream, black, red, pinkish-grey, deep brown, yellowish brown and fawn. Patternwise, they can either be all of a single color, tabby, tortoiseshell, shaded, colorpoint or bicolor; some have silver and gold tipped markings in their fur. They have rounded, stocky physiques broadly built and well muscled.

The British Shorthair’s eyes are broad and circular and red-brown in color. They have wide chests, hips and shoulders, with stubby legs, rounded paws and a rich, opulent looking tail. Male British Shorthair’s are larger than the females, weighing in at about 5 -10 kilograms on average; the females and queens can range from 5- 7 kgs.

14 – 20 years is the average age that these felines live to; they are placid by nature with well-rounded, likable personalities and enjoy a quiet type of indoor life. Vocally, they are not normally the noisy types and have a endearing habit of following their owners from room to room to see what is happening.

British Shorthairs are very bright cats yet they are not always fond of being picked up and stroked and will more likely sit beside you rather than on your lap. These are great pets for people who work long hours as they are more than happy to laze around the house and as an added bonus, they are not the sort of cat that maliciously destroys things when bored.