Update: For anyone who already signed up to attend the local chamber’s webinar on Obamacare, the event is being held at noon at the Newton County Fire Service building, 4136-A U.S. Highway 278, Covington, GA 30014.

The Covington-Newton County Chamber of Commerce is hosting a simulcast of the live webinar, which is being put on the U.S Chamber of Commerce. The webinar, titled "Federal Healthcare Reform: What Your Business Needs to Know," is being led Katie Mahoney, executive director of health policy at the U.S. chamber, who will focus on what changes have and will take place and what that means for business, with an emphasis on the effect on small businesses.

 

As small and large businesses alike struggle to understand the ramifications of the Affordable Care Act, the local chamber is partnering with the U.S. Chamber of Commerce to offer a live webinar titled "Federal Healthcare Reform: What Your Business Needs to Know."

The seminar costs $5 for chamber members and $10 for non-chamber members and is from noon to 1 p.m., Dec. 11 at a location to be determined based on the number of people who sign up. Attendees must RSVP to local chamber membership director Lisa Baker by Dec. 6, via email at lbaker@newtonchamber.com.

If turnout is low, the event will be held at the Covington-Newton County Chamber of Commerce, 2101 Clark St. in Covington, and if the turnout is high, the event will be held in the meeting room at the Newton County Fire Service offices at 4136 A U.S. Highway 278 in Covington.

The webinar will be led by Katie Mahoney, executive director of health policy at the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, who will focus what changes have and will take place and what that means for business, with an emphasis on the effect on small business.

"Small and large businesses are seriously scrambling to figure out the real cost of the health care reform," said local chamber President Hunter Hall. "I have not talked to one business owner who is not seriously considering moving a percentage of employees to part-time positions to avoid the impact."

Hall said he's not hearing that businesses are planning to hire fewer employees, but that they'll simply look to hire part-time employees as opposed to full-time employees. Mahoney originally joined the U.S. Chamber in 2004 after working for a health care consulting firm that specializes in assisting state agencies with their Medicaid programs. She also worked for United Healthcare, an insurance provider in Louisiana, and did a fellowship for a fully integrated health system comprised of a provider-owned health plan, hospital and physician group.

Mahoney worked for a law firm for a year, before rejoining the U.S. Chamber in July 2010. She has a master's degree in health administration from Tulane University.