Jan. 17 (Bloomberg) — Enrollment in Obamacare health plans for small businesses is off to a slow start, leaving in doubt whether the program can attract enough customers to satisfy carriers.

Greeted by higher premiums, less generous coverage and more paperwork, small businesses that offer health coverage to employees are choosing to renew existing plans rather than buy them through President Barack Obama's program. Complicating matters is the government's failure to complete the online exchange for small businesses; in 36 states, there will be no website offering ready information on the plans until November.

The program is supposed to help insure the 31 million people who work at companies with fewer than 50 employees. In Kentucky, just 14 companies signed up for Obamacare's small business plans as of Jan. 1, while Colorado enrolled 101, and Connecticut 106.

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