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HR professionals are dealing with both the usual crush of questions on open enrollment and a new onslaught of queries and concerns surrounding Obamacare and the health care marketplaces – even from those who have nothing to do with the public exchanges. By now, you have notified workers about the Affordable Care Act. You've made sure all your plans are compliant. Surely that’s all you have to communicate, right? Wrong. [Images: Shutterstock]

Staff at Walgreens stores will direct customers who ask about the exchanges to the GoHealth Marketplace, where they can shop and compare health insurance plans, enroll and find other tools and information.

Exchange prep, however, will go a long way to help employers prepare for the delayed employer mandate. Figure out whether you are an applicable large employer and if you are, start measuring. Otherwise, you could be left scrambling.

While the public exchanges offer a good solution for early retirees and COBRA-eligible participants, at least one expert says the exchanges are not the best option for current employees. Employers are also showing little confidence in public exchanges.

Eager to meet client needs — and keep their business — brokers hunt for information on individual exchanges, but are cautioned not to ignore the SHOP market. HR managers should be aware of the trend.

Eager to meet client needs — and keep their business — brokers hunt for information on individual exchanges, but are cautioned not to ignore the SHOP market.

On Facebook, brokers were quick to share their experiences of looking at and attempting to work with the exchanges.

At issue is the need for updated guidance on the employer mandate. While the mandate has been delayed until 2015, employers need to start preparing for it now.

Questions arise about phone enrollment on the East Coast, while the West Coast deals with a backlog that’s left brokers without necessary certification.

Even if you aren't planning on involving your workforce in the Obamacare marketplace, this week's rocky debut of the exchanges indicated heavy interest in the system - and need for better communication.