In what the Wall Street Journal calls "The highest-profile tech stumble to date in the effort to open electronic marketplaces", the Obama administration announced this week that the insurance exchanges for small businesses will NOT be ready on October 1st.

The administration added that there will still be time to sign up before January 1st, 2014, but the admission of the delay is still an embarrassing concession. The Wall Street Journal is also reporting that inside sources are still skeptical about the January 1st date.

The US Treasury has issued proposed rules designed to ease some of the reporting burden for employers and insurance companies under Obamacare.

Though we are still evaluating the scope of the rules, Thursday's proposal would, among other things, eliminate the need for employers to determine whether particular employees are full-time where adequate coverage is offered to all "potentially full-time employees." It also would let employers report specific costs for health plans only if the cost is above a certain threshold dollar amount.

More to follow.