David Weldon: “one of the issues about which my constituents most frequently contact me is the high cost of health insurance and the…”

“one of the issues about which my constituents most frequently contact me is the high cost of health insurance and the need for affordable insurance coverage. We all know health insurance premiums are increasing significantly each year. As such, many small businesses are unable to afford health insurance for their employees. Furthermore, for those who can afford insurance for their employees, rising costs make U.S. products more expensive, harming U.S. competitiveness and costing American jobs. Just last month I received a letter in my office written by a small business owner in Palm Bay, Florida. In it he wrote, ``As an independent businessman, I can only afford the most basic of health insurance policies for myself, of which premiums have gone up over 100 percent in the past two years, I might add. I sacrifice greatly to insure myself. But it is getting to the point I may not be able to afford health insurance myself.'' I know he is not alone. We have all heard similar stories. Small businesses are the backbone of our economy, but the financial viability of many small businesses is being hurt by the escalating costs of health insurance. This hurts job creation and economic growth. The U.S. Small Business Administration's Office of Advocacy found that administrative expenses for small health plans make up about 35 percent of total costs. This is not good for small business owners, their employees, or the American economy.”