Press Releases

Nation’s Job-Creators Largely Oppose Health Reform Legislation

Bottom Line Cost Savings Most Important To The Self-Employed

Washington, D.C., March 19, 2010 – Companies with fewer than 10 employees – micro-businesses – are asking Congress to keep in mind that a big part of being able to create jobs and grow their companies depends largely on their ability to pay for health coverage. Self-employed business owners say that access to health care and choice in providers/benefits is less important to their businesses than cost; Pocketbook-watching factors such as stable premium costs and inclusive coverage not negated by health condition or age is of most importance to the nation’s smallest businesses. With the clock ticking down to a final vote in Congress on health reform legislation, the online poll conducted by the National Association for the Self-Employed (NASE) received over 1,200 responses regarding the concerns of the self-employed with health reform.

Survey Highlights:

• Lowering health premium costs and ensuring they do not continue to increase (42%) and reforming the insurance market so individuals cannot be denied coverage due to their health status or age (24%) were cited as MOST important to their businesses.

• Respondents cited increasing choice in health plans and benefit options (32%) and ensuring that the uninsured have access to health coverage (29%) as factors in the health reform package that were LEAST important to their business.

• Three in five micro-businesses say they do not support the current health care proposal. Twenty-eight percent support the proposal and 12% say they are undecided.

• Of those who said they did not support the current proposal, 58% say they do not want Government to become too involved with health care. Nearly one-quarter (23%) say the plan is too costly and will increase the deficit.

Responses from micro-businesses:

• “The insurance companies are currently enjoying a monopoly. Unless we introduce competition, costs will continue to escalate.”

• “All of the issues listed in the survey are important! Costs for self-employed business people are outrageous with little options available to us.”

• “Yes, we need health care reform but the massive plan they are trying to ram through now is filled with sweetheart deals, other legislation not related to health care, double talk and union deals. It needs to be scrapped and a new bill drawn up.”

• “I am not entirely happy with the current bill as I would have preferred a public option, but I think that the idea that everyone needs to have insurance and that one cannot be denied due to past history is crucial.”

• “[Policymakers] have not addressed how everybody pays their share of insurance.”


Full survey results are available online on the NASE’s Research & Statistics web page.

Methodology:
Posted on the NASE Web site, the survey was available for members and other small business owners to take in March. Over 1,200 small business owners opted-in to the online survey and respondents were prohibited from taking it more than once.

Kristie Arslan is available for more information about this poll and the self-employed perspective on health reform. Please contact Kristin Oberlander by phone at 202-466-2100 or by email at koberlander@nase.org with additional questions or to schedule an interview.