A number of employers are bracing themselves for increased healthcare expenses under the Affordable Care Act. HCTrends conducted the Greater Milwaukee 2011 Health Plan Renewal Survey last month to obtain insight as to how the state's employers are reacting to the new regulations.

The survey found that nearly 30 percent of respondents anticipate a renewal health insurance rate increase of 15 percent. However, the average expected rate increase hovers around 8 percent to 10 percent.

The increase in plan rates may have some people who work for small employers looking for individual health insurance plans in 2014. The survey results found that more than a quarter of employers with fewer than 20 employees and almost 20 percent of employers with fewer than 100 employees may stop offering health insurance benefits in the future.

To help cover costs, the government does offer a Small Business Health Care Tax Credit to small businesses in order to help them provide health insurance benefits to their staff. The credit is extended to employers with fewer than 25 full-time employees with an average annual salary of less than $50,000.