Small Business Owners Join President at White House to Talk Healthcare Reform
Entrepreneurs in Small Business Majority̢???s network join President Obama on Tuesday to discuss healthcare reform̢???s impact on small businesses
Washington, DC̢?? Nine small business owners in Small Business Majority̢???s network joined President Obama at the White House today to discuss the Affordable Care Act and its impact on small businesses and the economy.
Small business owners traveled from eight states̢??Colorado, Illinois, Kentucky, Michigan, New Mexico, New York, Pennsylvania and Virginia̢??to stand alongside other small employers, business leaders, elected officials and advocates as the president talked about the impact the new health insurance marketplaces will have on small businesses and the self-employed.
̢???On the day the New Mexico Healthcare Insurance Exchange went live I went online, expecting a frustratingly long mess of enrollment tasks,̢???? said Michael Cadigan, an attorney from Albuquerque who took time away from running his small law practice to attend the event. ̢???I was pleasantly surprised that it took me about 15 minutes to sign my firm up for the program. Based on the estimate I received, I̢???ll be able to provide excellent, flexible coverage to my employees with a savings of more than $1,000 per month for my firm. Each employee was able to choose a plan that fit their needs, which is a change from our old one-size-fits-all plan.̢????
Last week, it was announced that the online portion of the federal small business marketplace through Healthcare.gov will be delayed a year. But until the online portion is up and running, small businesses will be able to purchase insurance through it exactly as they do now in the outside market.
̢???The new marketplaces can still offer the most competitive combination of price and quality for small businesses purchasing health insurance,̢???? said Rhett Buttle, VP of External Affairs for Small Business Majority, who also attended the event. ̢???We know from our opinion polling that two-thirds of small business owners would use the marketplace or at least consider using it, compared to a mere eight percent who say they would not. It̢???s important we continue educating small employers about the alternative pathways for enrolling in the marketplace so they have the opportunity to find more affordable health coverage.̢????
<p><strong>About Small Business Majority</strong><br />
Small Business Majority is a national small business advocacy organization, founded and run by small business owners to focus on solving the biggest problems facing America's 28 million small businesses today. Since 2005, we have actively engaged small business owners and policymakers in support of public policy solutions, and have delivered information and resources to entrepreneurs that promote small business growth and drive a strong, sustainable economy. We are a team of more than 30 working from our 11 offices in Washington, D.C. and 9 states, with a network of more than 45,000 small business owners and more than 2,000 business organizations, along with a formal strategic partnership program of more than 125 business organizations, enabling us to reach more than 500,000 entrepreneurs. Our extensive scientific polling, focus groups and economic research help us educate and inform policymakers, the media and other stakeholders about issues including taxes, healthcare, access to capital, entrepreneurship, workforce development, clean energy and immigration. Learn more about us on our website and follow us on <a href="https://twitter.com/SBM_Media" target="_blank">Twitter</a>, <a href="https://www.facebook.com/SmallBusinessMajority" target="_blank">Facebook</a> and <a href="https://instagram.com/smlbizmajority/" target="_blank">Instagram</a>.</p>