The White House has announced that it is extending the deadlinefor businesses with more than 50 employers to provide health carecoverage from 2014 to 2015 under the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act.

“(We) believe we need to give employers more time to comply withthe new rules,” read an update on the White House's website. “Sinceemployer responsibility payments can only be assessed based on thisnew reporting, payments won't be collected for 2014.”

The extension to 2015 allows employers the time to test the newreporting systems and make any necessary adaptations to theirhealth benefits “while staying the course toward making healthcoverage more affordable and accessible for their workers,”according to the White House statement released Tuesday.

Prior to the extension, businesses with more than 50 workersthat did not provide health care coverage faced paying fines of$2,000 per employee starting next year.

On Oct. 1, the federal government will open up marketplaces,commonly referred to as exchanges, to offer subsidies to theestimated 50 million uninsured Americans who can also start signingup for state-run health insurance programs.

Meanwhile, credit unions are gearing up to offering insurancechoices to their employees and members.

In June, the Iowa and Nebraska Credit Union Leagues announced a partnershipwith Des Moines, Iowa-based CoOportunity Health, a co-op that plansto offer insurance options through broker Group Benefits Ltd., inUrbandale, Iowa.

Consumers Mutual Insurance of Michigan is also planning tooffer health insurance to low- and moderate-income residents andsmall businesses in need of low cost insurance options.

The East Lansing, Mich.-based firm said it received $72 millionin a federal loan as part of the Affordable Care Act to become a Consumer Operated and OrientedPlan health insurer operating much as a statewide credit unionwhere interests of members control company decisions.