07/ 25/ 2007
At a briefing for Congressional staff in May, NFIB's Research Foundation released the results of its Small Business Health-Care Survey. The survey once again identified cost as the single most important problem facing small-business owners.
"Once again, small-business owners overwhelmingly voiced the need for Congress to address ever-rising health-insurance costs," says William Dennis, senior research fellow for the foundation. "A difference in top priorities appears between Congress and America's small-business owners. One is primarily interested in coverage and the other cost. If lawmakers can help reduce costs, small businesses could help increase coverage in the long run."
The new survey polled NFIB members, measuring the awareness, attitudes and beliefs of the small-business community. Small-business owners responding to the survey indicated that they believe that prices should affect behavior with regard to health care. Seventy percent believe making consumers more aware of health care and health-insurance costs will encourage them to become better health-care consumers.
Additionally, small-business owners indicated that they are wary of modifying the tax structure significantly even if it may ultimately work to their benefit. However, respondents do favor equalizing the tax structure for those obtaining health insurance, regardless of its source.
Additional highlights from the survey include:
- 79 percent of NFIB members believe the overall quality of health care available to most Americans is "excellent" or "pretty good."
- 95 percent believe everyone who benefits from financial assistance for health care should be required to pay some portion of their health care or insurance.
- 57 percent indicate a preference for individuals above a reasonable income level to be required to have health insurance or be able to prove financial responsibility.
- 71 percent think all health-care providers who expect reimbursement from insurers should be required to have computerized records.
"Lawmakers now have a real opportunity to act," says Todd Stottlemyer, NFIB's president and CEO. "This issue cannot be solved with a one-size-fits-all approach—what works for big business will not work for small and independent businesses, and we intend to continue to remind Congress of that. As our country continues to thrive on the jobs created by our entrepreneurs, it's time Congress takes action to address this mounting problem that will, inevitably, diminish this growth if it continues to go unaddressed."
To view the executive summary and complete survey results, visit www.NFIB.com/research.
