WASHINGTON, D.C. (April 3, 2025) – Marcie Strouse, Iowa Small Business Owner and member of the National Federation of Independent Business (NFIB) testified before the U.S. House Committee on Education & Workforce Subcommittee on Health, Employment, Labor, and Pensions at a hearing titled, “A Healthy Workforce: Expanding Access and Affordability in Employer-Sponsored Health Care.” Strouse offered solutions for helping small businesses offer competitive and affordable health insurance.  

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

“For over 20 years, I’ve worked directly with small employers across Iowa. I sit across from family-run businesses, hearing their fears and frustrations. They want to take care of their people, they want to be competitive, but they’re drowning in rising costs and limited choices,” said Strouse. 

“In Polk County, where I live, family premiums for small group plans have gone up 85% in just eight years. For my own family of five, we pay $1,100 a month for a pre-ACA plan. A comparable ACA plan today would cost my family more than $2,100 a month, almost double. That’s simply not sustainable and I can tell you I’m not the exception. 

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“Small business owners are resilient and innovative. They just need the tools to succeed. Congress should empower small businesses with more choices, greater flexibility, and better tools to support healthier teams and stronger communities.” 

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For 80 years, NFIB has been advocating on behalf of America’s small and independent business owners, both in Washington, D.C., and in all 50 state capitals. NFIB is nonprofit, nonpartisan, and member-driven. Since our founding in 1943, NFIB has been exclusively dedicated to small and independent businesses, and remains so today. For more information, please visit nfib.com.