WASHINGTON — In a blog post from Valerie Jarrett on WhiteHouse.gov, the White House announced that it is on target to open the Health Insurance Marketplace on Oct. 1 as previously planned but that there will be two changes to the upcoming deadlines. Jarrett is the senior advisor to President Obama, and her post continued on to describe the efforts that the government is putting forward to make the health care insurance transition a more simplified process for business owners.

“As we implement this law, we have and will continue to make changes as needed,” she said. “In our ongoing discussions with businesses we have heard that you need the time to get this right. We are listening. So in response to your concerns, we are making two changes. First, we are cutting red tape and simplifying the reporting process. Second, we are giving businesses more time to comply.”

The reporting process required by the new health care law would require many businesses to implement new data collection systems and begin detailed reporting on the company’s insurance programs. Jarrett said that the government is looking at this process in an effort to simplify it.

“We will convene employers, insurers, and experts to propose a smarter system and, in the interim, suspend reporting for 2014,” she noted.

The White House is not only suspending the 2014 reporting deadlines, but it is also providing businesses more time to comply with the new rules and adjustments being considered.

“Since employer responsibility payments can only be assessed based on this new reporting, payments won’t be collected for 2014,” explained Jarrett. “This allows employers the time to test the new reporting systems and make any necessary adaptations to their health benefits while staying the course toward making health coverage more affordable and accessible for their workers.”

 Visit www.healthcare.gov for more information.