Final answer:
Under the Affordable Care Act, the minimum number of employees needed for a small employer in Arizona to be required to offer a medical expense plan is 50. Employers with fewer than 50 employees are not obligated by the employer mandate but may offer health insurance voluntarily or through SHOP.
Step-by-step explanation:
The question pertains to the employer mandate under health care laws, which stipulates requirements for employers to offer health insurance to their employees. In Arizona, as in the rest of the United States, the Affordable Care Act (ACA) mandates that all employers with more than 50 employees must provide health insurance. Therefore, a small employer medical expense plan would require a minimum of 50 employees for the mandate to apply. Employers with fewer than 50 employees are not subject to this mandate, but they may still choose to provide health insurance voluntarily or participate in the Small Business Health Options Program (SHOP).
The ACA also aimed to increase the accessibility of health insurance by expanding Medicaid and establishing insurance purchasing organizations, while implementing consumer protections such as the prohibition of denying coverage for preexisting conditions and allowing children to remain on their parent's policy until the age of 26.