Indiana small business owners reiterate the health insurance affordability crisis and the need for legislation that will ease health care costs for small employers. The Indiana Senate Health and Provider Services Committee is hearing House Bill 1003 today, which increases health care pricing transparency and will allow small businesses to offer more affordable options to their employees.

“We often hear from our small business members on how health insurance is a top challenge for them due to the skyrocketing costs and limited options,” said Natalie Robinson, NFIB Indiana State Director. “Small businesses are pleased to see several health care-related bills being considered by the General Assembly this session and are hopeful that HB 1003 will pass quickly and head to Governor Braun’s desk to sign.”

Robinson has recently testified before several committees on health care legislation, including SB 3 and HB 1064.

NFIB published a policy paper, “Addressing the Health Insurance Affordability Crisis for Small Businesses,” which reveals the dire prognosis for the small-group insurance market as employer-provided health coverage is becoming unsustainable for millions of small businesses and their employees.

Some highlights from the paper include:
• Average premiums for small businesses have skyrocketed: Average single plan premiums have gone up 120% in the last two decades, while average family plan premiums have increased by 129% for firms with 50 or fewer employees.
• Only 30% of small businesses still offer health insurance, down from nearly 50% in 2000.
• Ninety-eight percent of small businesses say they are concerned about whether they will be able to afford to continue offering health insurance in the next five years.
• Small businesses pay twice as much for health insurance as large businesses, firms with less than $600,000 in revenue spend nearly 12% of payroll on health benefits, compared to 7% for firms with over $2.4 million in revenue.

View NFIB’s policy paper here.