--- title: "DC Health Exchange Causing Headaches for Associations" id: "27434" type: "post" slug: "dc-health-exchange-causing-headaches-for-associations" published_at: "2015-03-02T21:52:26+00:00" modified_at: "2026-03-16T13:36:34+00:00" url: "https://associationsnow.com/2015/03/02/dc-health-exchange-causing-headaches-for-associations/" markdown_url: "https://associationsnow.com/2015/03/02/dc-health-exchange-causing-headaches-for-associations.md" excerpt: "Small businesses in the District are concerned with the technological flaws and potential cost of the city’s small-business health options program. The DC City Council met last week to discuss the program." taxonomy_category: - "Advocacy" taxonomy_post_tag: - "Advocacy" - "AssociationsNow" - "Business" - "health exchange" - "health policy" taxonomy_content_format: - "Article" taxonomy_role: - "Association CEO / Executive Director" taxonomy_persona: - "Executive Leadership" --- [Home](https://associationsnow.com/) » [Articles](https://associationsnow.com/format/article/) » DC Health Exchange Causing Headaches for Associations The Council of the District of Columbia’s Committee on Health and Human Services—the group that oversees the city’s Health Benefit Exchange Authority—held a [performance oversight hearing (opens in a new tab)](http://dccouncil.us/files/user_uploads/event_testimony/HBX_and_DOHs_Professional_Licensing_Boards-_Witness_List_-_FY14_Performance_Oversight.pdf) last week to gauge how things are going with the District’s healthcare exchange. Judging by recent news coverage of the project, particularly regarding hiccups with the small-business health options program (SHOP), it hasn’t been a smooth launch. Problems range from the exchange’s website crashing, to major information gaps, to a lack of support from the officials in charge, according to [a report by the Washington Business Journal (opens in a new tab)](http://www.bizjournals.com/washington/print-edition/2015/01/23/d-c-health-link-headaches-and-how-it-aims-to-fix.html?page=all) . On top of those problems, small businesses have expressed concern that [DC has banned employers from self-funding health plans (opens in a new tab)](http://www.cbizmidatlantic.com/dcs-ban-self-funded-health-plans-means-dc-employers-employees/) for employees, in effect forcing them to use the exchange. And there’s an ongoing legal battle over [how the exchange is being funded (opens in a new tab)](http://www.bizjournals.com/washington/blog/2014/11/councilwoman-alexander-wonders-if-district-should.html?page=all) . ASAE [submitted a statement (opens in a new tab)](http://asae.cms-plus.com/files/FileDownloads/PublicPolicy/ASAE%20SHOP%20Comments%202015_1424980659428_1.pdf) [PDF] to the committee last week that echoed the concerns raised by the small-business community and urged the council to delay closing down the private marketplace for businesses with 51 to 100 employees. “ASAE urges you and your fellow councilmembers to delay any changes that could overburden DC Health Link before the technology is ready,” wrote ASAE President and CEO John H. Graham IV, FASAE, CAE. “Healthcare is an extremely important benefit that our members offer to their employees, and it is imperative that the private marketplace remain open and that this benefit continues to be affordable.” Over 82 percent of ASAE’s DC-based members are smaller than 50 employees and are required to enter the healthcare exchange program. (iStock/Thinkstock) [Chris Vest, CAE](https://associationsnow.com/author/chris-vest-cae/) Chris Vest, CAE, is director of public policy at ASAE. [More articles by this author](https://associationsnow.com/author/chris-vest-cae/) Tags: [#Advocacy](https://associationsnow.com/tag/advocacy/) [#Business](https://associationsnow.com/tag/business/) [#health exchange](https://associationsnow.com/tag/health-exchange/) [#health policy](https://associationsnow.com/tag/health-policy/) **Stay Informed** [Subscribe to our free newsletter](https://associationsnow.com/newsletter/) , *Associations Now Daily News*, to find out what’s happening in the association world every business day. ## You Might Like - [PodcastAssociations NOW Presents: Powering Advocacy-Why PACs Matter for AssociationsNovember 20, 2025](https://associationsnow.com/2025/11/20/associations-now-presents-powering-advocacy-why-pacs-matter-for-associations/) - [TemplateMembers onlyASAE Comments on Association Health PlansNovember 4, 2019](https://associationsnow.com/2019/11/04/asae-comments-on-association-health-plans/) - [PodcastNavigating Tax Reform: Advocacy for Associations and NonprofitsDecember 19, 2024](https://associationsnow.com/2024/12/19/navigating-tax-reform-advocacy-for-associations-and-nonprofits/) - [VideoASAE Legislative 2025 Fly-InApril 4, 2025](https://associationsnow.com/2025/04/04/asae-legislative-2025-fly-in/) ## Comments **Comments are for ASAE members.** [Learn more about comments on this site.](https://associationsnow.com/comments/) [Log in](https://associationsnow.com/login?redirect_to=https%3A%2F%2Fassociationsnow.com%2F2015%2F03%2F02%2Fdc-health-exchange-causing-headaches-for-associations%2F%23comments) to your member account or [join ASAE](https://my.asaecenter.org/select-a-membership-type/) !