NSBA Unveils Small Business Health Care Reform Checklist ...

by PRNewswire

WASHINGTON, Jan. 12 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ — The National Small Business Association (NSBA) is calling on Congress to make needed changes to the final health care bill in order to win the support of small business. A staunchly nonpartisan small-business organization heavily engaged in the ongoing debate, NSBA has compiled a comprehensive list of what small business wants in a final bill. This list highlights pieces of both the House and Senate bills that are preferable to small-business owners, and suggests several critical changes.

“NSBA has been calling for broad health care reform since 2004 and was the first small-business organization to craft a broad reform proposal,” stated NSBA President and CEO Todd McCracken. “While we are very happy to see this critical issue front-and- center, not just any reform will do, it must be the right reform.”

Included in the suggestions NSBA has offered:

Mandates

— Oppose any employer mandate as a threat to job growth.

— Support the House model for a strong individual mandate to ensure there

would not be risk selection as healthy individuals opt-out until they

need coverage.

— Oppose Senate language that arbitrarily excludes the construction

industry from the overall small-business exemption to the employer

mandate.

Insurance Market Reforms

— Support Senate language on market reforms such as guaranteed issue

policies, the elimination of rating based on preexisting conditions and

health status, and the 3:1 age rating rule.

Tax benefits for small businesses

— Support the Senate version of tax credits.

— Include language to end the prohibition on self-employed business owners

from fully deducting the cost of their health insurance — something all

other business owners and workers are allowed to do.

Read more...