Political Quotes

“I rise to enthusiastically support H.R. 3160. The bill includes key small business health insurance reform that was in H.R. 995, reported by the Economic Opportunities Committee: It gives small employers the right to form groups for the purpose of self-insuring or fully insuring and thereby gain access to affordable health care with the economies of scale that large employers and union plans have had for years under ERISA. The problem of the uninsured is predominately a problem of small business lacking access to affordable insurance. Eighty-five percent of the 40 million uninsured are in families with at least one employed worker, the majority of whom work in a small business. Small businesses face health insurance premiums 30 percent higher than larger companies due to higher administration costs, and an additional 30 percent more due to costly State mandated coverages. Small business people--through the National Federation of Independent Business--call this reform 'A remarkable advancement for small businesses over current law * * * a massive improvement'.”