There is a lot of back and forth debate about the effects of the Affordable Care Act (ACA) on businesses big and small, but it likely will also have implications on an untold number of ones that haven’t even started yet.

Certainly health-related startups will benefit as the large providers and insurance companies invest and partner with them to “fill in the cracks” as the big players try to adapt quickly to a new way of doing things. But ACA may just be enough to remove the shackles holding back so many aspiring entrepreneurs from making the leap into opening their own business.

One common roadblock is so-called “job-lock”—workers stay in their corporate job or with a larger firm to keep their health insurance coverage rather than risk the chance of not being able to find affordable coverage or work for a small business that may not offer insurance. In fact, a July 2013 study out of Columbia University notes that as many as 940,000 workers in “job lock” may now leave that employment because of the availability of healthcare under ACA.

Also, the high cost of providing any sort of insurance is inhibiting the growth of those who’ve already made the jump into entrepreneurship. Money that could otherwise go toward product development, higher wages or hiring new employees instead is disproportionately going toward healthcare costs. Under the current system, it’s next to impossible to afford the same health benefits as larger companies, and in the case of many new start-ups, offer any health benefits at all. But, then again, offering an employee benefits package is a powerful tool for attracting and maintaining talent, especially away from the bigger, more established companies.

If the recently launched SHOP (Small Business Health Options Program) operates as promised, the cost and compliance required of crafting benefits packages to attract talent to a new venture may well improve. Most entrepreneurs don’t have the time or capability to untangle the mess that can be securing health insurance, so the program’s promise to cut down on administrative costs, greatly simplify the process based on how much coverage you want to offer and consolidate all of that into one bill is intriguing.

Another selling point given for the new SHOP exchange is that companies with 25 or fewer employees could potentially be eligible to receive a 50% tax credit for buying health insurance in 2014. If you’re an even smaller company, you might even qualify for a full tax credit to provide insurance to your employees, granted their average salaries are below $25,000 annually. The majority of startups will probably fall somewhere between these two brackets, which may just be enough to persuade them to provide coverage.

The effects and potential implications of the ACA for proprietorship launches are worth spelling out in three hypothetical examples:

Consider someone who has spent decades in the corporate/bigger business world, done rather well for themselves, but is contemplating finally making that leap into opening their own business. Even with a pretty decent nest egg set aside, there is still the fear of how quickly any potential healthcare issues could bankrupt their future if they lose insurance coverage.

Were this person to start up their new venture on January 1st, they would likely pay a fair amount for ACA healthcare in 2014 given their 2013 salary, but after that point, their 1040 adjusted gross income amount would likely drop sharply for a few years while they invests in their enterprise. ACA tax credits would remove the threat of healthcare costs killing their dream.

Another common budding entrepreneur seen is the young person looking to strike it out on their own. They likely are at the point in their career where they never made enough to buy decent, if any, health insurance. What they likely don’t yet realize is that they can get better insurance at a lower cost through the state exchange along with enough tax credits to make their monthly payments lower still. Additionally, no potential “preconditions” will block them from gaining coverage either. This may well be the tipping point where their “maybe someday” business plans change to “let’s get this started now.”

Finally consider a downsized employee who, due to a rapidly changing field, is left jobless and unable to find work. While now may be the perfect time to take a new career track, they still face unaffordable yet unavoidable health insurance costs increasingly chipping away at the savings that could go towards starting that new career path. Based on the ACA calculators, they will likely trade those high premiums for a better policy with a significantly lower tab.

These three hypotheticals represent a lot of people in our country in similar positions. They know that opening a business and striking out on your own is full of plenty of risks, but that in doing some research and arming yourself with knowledge, you can negate some of those risks. In the case of providing health benefits for themselves and any future employees, by knowing what new options and potential cost-savings are available as a result of healthcare reform, they and others like them can better decide if now is the time to act and realize their dreams of business ownership.