When the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (PPACA) became law, companies scrambled to understand – and then adapt to -- the changes in regulation. And no market segment struggled more than small businesses.

Businesses with 100 or fewer employees have found themselves at a crossroads over the past few years, challenged by how to affordably attract employees and keep the ones they have.

It’s not an unfamiliar position. Small businesses have long struggled to balance cost with valuable benefits options – a challenge that’s compounded by confusion over the changes ushered in by PPACA and exactly which responsibilities lie with the small business owner. Amid the confusion, small businesses still have to attract and retain quality employees like any other business -- only with fewer resources. That means small business owners are spending valuable time shopping for benefits options they often don’t fully understand.