Health Insurance
Issue Overview: Affordable health insurance has been a top concern for NFIB members. Many state legislatures have begun to examine and reform their health insurance laws in recent years. The lack of affordable health insurance hurts small-business owners, their families and their employees. It also raises the cost to taxpayers because many individuals who lack health insurance visit an emergency room for treatment, which is more expensive than a physician visit.
Issue Status: With the support of Gov. Mark Sanford and a strong bipartisan coalition of legislators, NFIB introduced H. 3751 and S. 588 on March 21, 2007. Both bills reform the small employer health insurance laws to allow small business to band together under a health group cooperative to purchase health insurance. Both pieces of legislation are pending before legislative committees.
NFIB Position: NFIB strongly supports passage of H. 3751 and S. 588. Through NFIB member ballots and Area Action Council meetings, a multi-faceted approach of market-based solutions is strongly supported. Put simply, small business needs more choices in health insurance. One market-based solution is allowing small business to form health group cooperatives to purchase health insurance for all the members of the group. Ninety-four percent of NFIB members said they would support such a law in a recent member survey.
NFIB Actions: Working with friends of small business in the General Assembly, NFIB introduced legislation to reform bills to give small business another choice in the health insurance marketplace. As of April 23, the House bill, H. 3751, has 74 sponsors, well above the 63 votes needed to reach a simple majority vote. Key supporters include House Labor, Commerce and Industry Chairman Harry Cato, Speaker Bobby Harrell, Majority Leader Jim Merrill and Minority Leader Harry Ott. The Senate bill, S. 588, is sponsored by Senate President Pro Tempore Glenn McConnell and Sen. Joel Lourie. Both bills have the support of Gov. Mark Sanford, who referenced this legislation in his 2007 State of the State Address. NFIB will work with Gov. Sanford and legislators to enact this legislation prior to the conclusion of the 117th General Assembly in June 2008.
What to Do: Contact your county delegation to the General Assembly, and tell them small business needs more choices in health insurance. Ask them to sponsor H. 3751 or S. 588.
What to Say: Ask your legislators to support legislation that would create health group cooperatives. A personal touch will leave a lasting impression with your legislators, so please share your experiences, concerns and problems with finding affordable health insurance.
