[elgabogringo]

I think staying under 50 employees means you are exempt from being forced to offer insurance to full time employees (those with over 30 hours a week and/or salaried.) However, if you are offering health insurance - and most startups would be, then you are affected by the changes to private insurance.

[ressaid1]

Thats exactly right. ACA doesnt force you to offer insurance, but if you do your rates are likely to go up as a startup.

[jbooth]

* If you're a startup that mostly employs 20-something males.

It's nothing to do with being a startup and everything to do with demographics.

Additionally, for really small startups that don't have a giant pile of capital or enough people for a group plan, the healthcare exchanges make insurance "possible" instead of "better hope you're married and the spouse can do family plan".