Opportunity for Murkowski, Sullivan to Really Help Small Business

Date: June 30, 2017

Editorial by NFIB/Alaska State Director Denny DeWitt

The following guest editorial was transmitted to the Alaska media for free use in their publications and on their websites.

Obamacare has been burdensome for small business. When it returns from the July 4 holiday, the Senate has a chance to do something about it.

Year after year, when the National Federation of Independent Business surveys its members, they say their No. 1 priority is health care, but the Affordable Care Act, better known as Obamacare, has made things more difficult for them. Its onerous taxes and mandates have increased costs and reduced choices.

Repealing Obamacare shouldn’t be a partisan issue. The law has failed in its central promise, which is to make health care affordable.

  • Premiums for small businesses have skyrocketed.
  • The law forced the cancelation of insurance policies for millions of Americans who were happy with their plans.
  • Insurance companies have abandoned the exchange marketplaces, leaving Americans in many parts of the country with one option or no options at all.

On May 27 of this year, the Office of the Assistant Secretary for Planning and Evaluation in the federal Health & Human Service department issued a report that took a hard look at the soaring costs of Obamacare now that all its rules and regulations have come to fruition.

The report found average insurance premium costs in Alaska individual market rising from $344 a month in 2013 to $1,041 a month by 2017—an increase of 203 percent, the second highest in the nation.

Even former President Bill Clinton called Obamacare “the craziest thing in the world.” He said, “The people who are getting killed in this deal are small business people and individuals who make just a little too much to get any of these subsidies.”

That’s why NFIB is calling on Senators Lisa Murkowski and Dan Sullivan to vote “yes” on the Senate plan, the Better Care Reconciliation Act.

Small business has long supported repealing and replacing Obamacare. NFIB opposed the health-care bill when it passed, and we challenged its constitutionality before the Supreme Court in NFIB v. Sebelius.

Not only does the law harm small businesses, it harms their employees. According to the federal government’s own research, small businesses’ health insurance costs increased and benefit flexibility decreased under Obamacare, resulting in 25 percent fewer small businesses offering health insurance within five years of the law’s enactment.

The Senate bill provides massive tax relief by eliminating or delaying 11 of the most burdensome Obamacare taxes, which are crushing small businesses and driving up costs. It also eliminates the punishing mandate penalties that discourage job creation, expansion, and investment.

This is a crucial moment for our senators. We hope they remember that small business employs most of the state’s private-sector workforce. It’s the backbone of our economy. Obamacare is a massive impediment to growth and new jobs, and this week our senators have a chance to enact change that will help small businesses.

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Related Content: Small Business News | Alaska | Healthcare

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