Pros And Cons Of The Affordable Care Act

The Affordable Care Act withstood many trials on its way toward becoming reality, from epic congressional battles, to a pivotal Supreme Court ruling, to — finally — yesterday's Presidential election. Saul Loeb | AFP | Getty Images Obama's reelection means his health-care reform act has dodged its last bullet, and the age of universal mandates, penalty taxes and tax credits will almost certainly go into effect, although probably not exactly as scheduled on Jan. 1, 2014.

What do you need to do to get your business ready?

(Read more: Warby Parker CEO: Startups Focused on Health-Care Costs, Immigration Reform)

Inc. put the question to health-care policy expert Henry J. Aaron, a senior fellow at Washington think tank Brookings Institution. Aaron offered three key ideas for entrepreneurs facing the enormous changes scheduled for health care during Obama's second term.

1. Weigh the Costs
The pros and cons of either route will depend on the size of your payroll, both in people and dollars. Do you have 50 or fewer employees? Then you aren't subject to penalties for not providing an employee plan. On the flip side, helping employees pay for insurance affords tax advantages. If you have fewer than 25 full-timers on your payroll and their average pay is less than $50,000, the law affords you a tax credit of up to 35 percent for providing insurance today, rising to 50 percent in