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Congress continues to pursue healthcare policies that threaten small business with higher insurance costs

Congressional leaders and the president are currently promoting a revised healthcare proposal that would leave small business with higher health insurance costs and increased taxes. After more than a year of intense but not always inclusive debate, the Senate-passed healthcare bill, H.R. 3590, represents the latest and perhaps final attempt for comprehensive healthcare reform.
 
Despite claims that H.R. 3590 is a better alternative than the previously passed House bill, make no mistake, the price tag is still too high a price for America’s small businesses.
 
H.R. 3590 costs nearly $900 billion and would likely shutter small businesses and set our economic recovery backward with destructive policies:
 
A New Small Business Health Insurance Tax
  • The tax is assessed on the health insurance small business owners buy
  • The tax will increase health insurance premiums by at least $500 per year
  • Labor unions and big business are exempt from this tax leaving small business footing the massive bill
A New Employer Mandate on the Construction Industry
  • Any firm with more than 5 employees and payroll over $250,000 will be forced to provide health insurance to all employees at levels dictated by the government
  • This mandate was added after demands by labor unions and is nothing more than a political payoff designed to make it easier for big unions to grow their membership ranks
An Oppressive New Small Business Paperwork Mandate
  • H.R. 3590 imposes a new IRS paperwork burden on small businesses
  • The provision forces small business owners to report every transaction over $600
Jamming through this job killing healthcare bill would dump disproportionate costs on already strained small businesses, while providing unfair exemptions for big business and labor unions; this is simply not reasonable reform. It will only result in more job losses and shuttered businesses during an unprecedented recession. 
 
Our economic recovery starts with small business and Washington needs to stop promoting job-killing policies and instead take a more responsible approach to market reforms in order to make health insurance more affordable and accessible for small businesses.

Click here to read NFIB's full statement on H.R. 3590.

Click here for NFIB's full statement on the small business amendments to H.R. 3590.

NFIB has been a constructive participant during the entire healthcare reform process. We are fighting vehemently to remove provisions from the final legislation that harm small business, such as the amendment that targets the construction industry and requires these businesses with 5 or more employees to offer health insurance or face a stiff penalty. Click here to get informed about this egregious provision targeted at the construction industry.

We are also working to strengthen provisions that may benefit small businesses. To date we have successfully convinced the Senate to increase the value of the tax credits available to small businesses to purchase insurance. Now we must ensure that the improvements included in the Senate bill are adopted in the final legislation. 

President Obama and Congressional leaders are aiming to pass a final healthcare bill by the end of March. This gives us little time to influence the final bill. We encourage you to contact your elected officials and remind them that small businesses can not afford a healthcare bill that will result in increased costs for small business.

Click here to email EVERY Member of Congress right now to oppose H.R. 3590!




Click here to learn how the Senate's healthcare tax credit fails small business.

Click here to learn about the "health insurance fee" and how this direct tax will increase costs for small businesses.

The bottom line is this: If reform doesn’t make health insurance more affordable, then it’s not the reform small business needs, wants or most importantly, can afford!

House Update:
Click here to get informed about H.R. 3962, "The Affordable Health Care for America Act," a bill that was passed by the House on November 7, 2009 and how it will adversely affect small businesses.