Marcie Strouse, Iowa Small Business Owner and member of the National Federation of Independent Business (NFIB) testified before the U.S. Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor and Pensions (HELP) at a hearing titled, “Making Health Care Affordable Again: Healing a Broken System.” Strouse offered solutions on how Congress can address the health insurance affordability crisis to provide relief for small business owners and improve the well-being of millions of American workers and their families.

Read Strouse’s full testimony here. Watch her opening statement here.

“For more than two decades, I have helped small business owners navigate an increasingly complex health benefits landscape. I’ve sat across from owners who lie awake at night wondering how they will continue to afford employee coverage. And as a small business owner myself, I understand how an uneven playing field can hold back growth,” said Strouse.

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“The underlying problem is structural. Too many government regulations and too many industry middlemen separate patients and employers from the care they need. Today, nine out of every 10 dollars spent on healthcare flows through a third party, limiting employers’ and employees’ ability to shop for plans that truly fit their needs. It is time for Congress to legalize healthcare tools that increase choice, flexibility, and affordability.”

In February, NFIB released a policy paper titled, “Addressing the Health Insurance Affordability Crisis for Small Businesses.” The findings reveal a dire prognosis for the small-group insurance market as employer-provided health coverage is becoming unsustainable for millions of small businesses and their employees. The report also highlights the top legislative solutions Congress should enact to provide relief for small businesses.

In NFIB’s most recent Problems & Priorities survey, small businesses ranked the cost of health insurance as the number one small business problem, a position it has held since 1986.