You are eligible for Covered California for Small Business if:
For the purposes of determining whether an employer is a small or large employer as defined by the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act and applicable California law, the employer is required to calculate its total number of “full-time-equivalent” (FTE) employees. This number determines whether the employer is eligible to participate in Covered California for Small Business.
An FTE employee is not an actual employee, but a calculation involving all part-time and full-time employees who worked during the preceding calendar year (or who are reasonably expected to work in the current calendar year if the employer did not exist in the prior year). If the final figure exceeds 100, then the employer is a large employer under California law. For coverage starting Jan. 1, 2016, if the final figure is 100 or less, then the employer is a small employer that is eligible for Covered California for Small Business.