New York State's Healthy New York plan has helped thousands of small businesses offer health insurance to their employees, rather many of there were not able to afford before. Michelle Sheffer, who owns A Child's World, a day care service in Queensbury, N.Y., was not able to offer her employees health insurance coverage before 2005, when the state's Office of Family Services and Children began paying a part for day care providers.

Now, Sheffer has been able to retain her workers longer as of the program.

"One major reason it's been hard to keep people is that you don't have benefits," she said. "It's helped me keep people a little big longer. There's no other way to get (benefits) that cheap on your own."