Political Quotes

“I rise to introduce a new legislative proposal to help level the playing field for small businesses that try to provide health insurance for their employees and make health insurance more affordable for all Americans. While our economy is the strongest it's ever been, the number of uninsured Americans has gone from 32 million in 1987 to more than 44 million today. And that number is rising. While our nation continues to forge ahead in improving the world's greatest health care system, we face the increasing problem of having a significant percentage of our population that has no way to access it. One of the largest sectors of the uninsured is employees who work for small businesses. While small businesses are the lifeblood of our economy, they also face some of the greatest challenges--particularly when it comes to providing health benefits for their employees. While the number of uninsured among employees who work for companies with more than 500 people is 1 in 8, that number soars among companies with fewer than 25 employees--to 1 in 3. This is because large employers can spread the costs of providing health insurance among their multitude of employees, while smaller companies have a much more difficult task. We need to help small business owners--and the employees who work for them--better afford quality health insurance.”