Democrats offer small business health bill

[Judi Lynn]

Democrats offer small business health bill
WASHINGTON, March 7 (UPI) -- U.S. Senate Democrats, led by Dick Durbin, D-Ill., introduced legislation Tuesday they say will help small businesses offer health insurance to employees.

The Democrats, in a release, said they plan to offer their measure as an alternate to a bill offered by Sen. Mike Enzi, R-Wyo., when the Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee meets Wednesday. Enzi is chairman of the committee and Sen. Ted Kennedy, D-Mass., one of 21 co-sponsors of Durbin's bill, is the ranking member.

The Democratic measure, called the Small Employers Health Benefits Program, is designed to "give small businesses affordable choices among private health insurance plans and expand access to healthcare coverage for their employees."

The program would allow small business to pool purchasing power and spread risk over a large number of participants. Employers would qualify for a tax credit to help offset contributions for low-income employees.
(snip/...)

http://www.upi.com/NewsTrack/view.php?StoryID=20060307-044154-7520r

[SoCalDem]

1. Nibbling at the edges helps very few people and only adds

new wrinkles to the problem..

The USA is ONE GIANT "group"...let's go with THAT group plan :)

[MadMaddie]

2. Agreed....

[leftstreet]

3. Here comes the "We Can Do Better" bullshit

:eyes:

[A-Possum]

4. As a self-employed person

Who pays more than you could imagine for limited coverage, married to another self-employed person who can only get even less hospitalization coverage (20k deductible) for MORE than my outrageous payments and $2k deductible...you know, I appreciate any attempt to lessen this burden NOW.

So let's not get all pissy about what could be done better, but won't be allowed to happen, if anything could be done to help AT ALL.

Thank you, I will spare you (and myself) the rest of my rant about health insurance.

[GoddessOfGuinness]

6. I hear you...

We're in the same boat; and it's sinking.

[katsy]

7. Bravo!

I'm in the same boat. This will be good for employees and owners of small business for the time being... until we take back Congress, then the Presidency.

[qanda]

8. I'm in the same boat

My husband has his own business and we have no insurance. I am having health problems and the bills are adding up. It's more stressfull than I could have ever imagined it would be. The bills, alone, may take us completely under.

[mongo]

9. Hear Hear!!!

Try being a small business with NO health care. I now get charged $40.00 for routine bloodwork that an insurance company used to pay (and the lab accepted) $3.96 for.

We have looked at many plans, either they don't cover hardly anything for the cost, or they would break our store.

I'll take any bone they care to throw at me that makes insur affordable.

[Sgent]

10. Suggestion maybe

In most states, a group of 2 or larger is gaurenteed issue and rate limited. You and your wife might want to consider working for the same company -- thus enabling you to access small group benefits.

If your already doing this, of course ignore.

[A-Possum]

12. Here's the deal

It was SO HARD to get the coverage we have, which in my case is thru membership in a professional organization, and in his case is ALL he could get after having a stage 1 (no other involvement) melanoma (black mole) that was removed w/o recurrance FIFTEEN YEARS AGO, that we do not dare rock the boat enough to make one single ripple, for fear we would lose coverage entirely.

That's how life is today. But thanks for the suggestion; the thought is appreciated.

Ok. I must go take deep breaths now before I give myself a heart attack and find out they won't cover it.

:hi:

[Mojorabbit]

13. My hubby is a physician who owns his own practice

and we cannot get him health insurance at any price as he had a heart attack six years ago at age 44. It worries me to death. We have tried everywhere.

[A-Possum]

15. I truly empathize

It's one of the few things that can just send me into a foaming rage, so I can only allow myself to think about it for a few minutes at a time.

*hugs* Keep trying.

[OKNancy]

5. I own a small business and would love to do this

for my employees. It has to truly be "affordable" or it won't happen

[cally]

11. This would help so many

get health insurance. It's a great idea.

[Lydia Leftcoast]

14. The whole "groups" concept is a crock

The insurance company doesn't keep the money for each "group" or individual in separate banks or anything like that.

It's just a useful fiction that serves as an excuse to charge some "groups" more than others. One case of advanced cancer in an employee will wreck the rates charged to a company, even though those cancer treatments have little impact on the insurance company as a whole.