06/16/2008
CONTACT: Stephanie Cathcart, 202-314-2056
Looks forward to continued dialogue on healthcare reform
WASHINGTON, D.C. -- Dan Danner, executive vice president of the National Federation of Independent Business, the nation's leading small business association, issued the following statement in reaction to the Senate Finance Committee's "Prepare for Launch: Health Reform Summit 2008:"
"The National Federation of Independent Business applauds Chairman Max Baucus and Ranking Member Chuck Grassley for calling attention to the urgent need for healthcare reform. Americans realize that bipartisan cooperation is necessary if we are ever to achieve affordable coverage that is available to all. Small business owners and their employees are acutely aware of the challenges in finding affordable, accessible healthcare coverage. In fact, this issue is the top concern for small business owners and employees and has been for many years.
"As this conversation about reform takes place, the NFIB continues our dialogue with committee members sharing the concerns of small business owners, representing 99.7 percent of all employers in the U.S. We look forward to working together with Congress to ensure more Americans can access affordable healthcare. Recently, the NFIB launched Solutions Start Here, a campaign aimed at involving the small business community in the reform policy process. Together, we are working to amplify the small business community's voice, especially since they comprises 43 percent of registered voters in the U.S., making them a powerful and politically motivated group.
"According to a recent NFIB survey, nearly three-quarters of those polled say fixing healthcare should be a top priority for the next president. And 80 percent agree that 'it is important to me to vote for a presidential candidate whose healthcare plan makes sense for small business.'
"As the foundation of the campaign, our Small Business Principles for Healthcare Reform will serve as guiding principles and lead us to act on a variety of fronts. These 10 principles articulate our commitment to creating reform that is, among other things, universal, affordable, competitive and portable. We look forward to hearing more from the committee, especially as they relate to our Principles.
"At NFIB we are committed to finding the best combination of policies and reforms to make healthcare accessible and affordable for our members, their employees and their employees' families. Because when healthcare is fixed for small business, it's fixed for America."
