Small business owners anxious about proposed health care legislationCalifornia Small Business Health Coalition is urging government not to pass laws mandating that they provide employer health care. The coalition is concerned that such a law would disportionately hurt small businesses in California.
Small business owners argue that to provide the level of health insurance proposed, could put them out of business. Instead, they ask for flexibility in choosing health care plans that fit their employee’s needs.
For example, laws may require for insurance coverage for families but a small business (such as a coffee shop) may employ young single college students. They hope for more choice to choose less costly options. They also want to see more employees who qualify for federally-funded health insurance take advantage of it.
The
Small Business Action Committee, part of the coalition said: "Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger and the Legislature have declared that reforming California health care accessibility is the number one issue lawmakers will face in 2007. What recommendations are made and how they will effect the operations of small business is of great importance to the small business community."
The National Federation of Independent Business (NFIB) is also fighting health care legislation - SB 815, by Senate President Pro Tempore Don Perata (D-Oakland), which would double the maximum period during which an injured worker could receive workers' compensation benefits; and
- SB 840, by Sen. Sheila Kuehl (D-Los Angeles), which would create a single-payer health insurance system in California (Dunai, Contra Costa Times, 9/1).
Watch a video by the The National Federation of Independent Business about small business health care concerns.
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