Saving $$ for Small Business – Current National Health Reform Options

Small business owners overwhelmingly support smart, comprehensive health care reform that reduces costs. Now, a small business organization is releasing a report today on three different reform options that mirror current discussions in Washington. Small Business Majority is releasing research study called, “The Economic Impact of Healthcare Reform on Small Business.” The economic analysis, done by Jonathan Gruber of M.I.T., compares the impact of three different reform models on small business healthcare costs, jobs, wages and profits with that of no reform. Small business would save overwhelmingly under the reforms currently under discussion – but it is critical that small businesses are offered appropriate assistance in making sure that health care is available to all their employees.

We are getting to know small businesses here in North Carolina, and what we hear from owners and workers is echoed in this study. Small businesses desperately want reform. They want to provide decent health insurance to their employees. But they can’t do that until we can control costs, eliminate massive administrative headaches, and make sure a truly affordable option is available to all. National leaders would do well to listen to people like small business owner Lou Meyers of Durham and the other participants in our ongoing series of small business roundtable discussions on health reform. New small business roundtables are coming up in Pittsboro and Greensboro. Contact Hope Marasco at hope@ncjustice.org for more information.