NFIB: Senate Health Care Bill Is “A Disaster” for Small Businesses
Posted November 20th, 2009 at 4:20pm in Enterprise and Free Markets, Health Care 
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After “many months of discussion” in which the National Federation of Independent Business was engaged in efforts to ensure that the high cost of health care was adequately addressed in reform legislation, the organization yesterday came out in full force against the Senate health care bill, declaring it a “disaster for small business:”
Small business can’t support a proposal that does not address their No. 1 problem: the unsustainable cost of healthcare. With unemployment at a 26-year high and small business owners struggling to simply keep their doors open, this kind of reform is not what we need to encourage small businesses to thrive.
We oppose the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act due to the amount of new taxes, the creation of new mandates, and the establishment of new entitlement programs. There is no doubt all these burdens will be paid for on the backs of small business. It’s clear to us that, at the end of the day, the costs to small business more than outweigh the benefits they may have realized.
NFIB declared the Reid Bill to be unacceptable due to the “impact from these new taxes, a rich benefit package that is more costly than what they can afford today, a new government entitlement program, and a hard employer mandate” which together would cripple small businesses.
The organization’s conclusion is not surprising, given that the Reid Bill leaves small businesses in a lurch. The bill essentially acknowledges that it is terrible policy for small businesses, given that it includes a “small business tax credit” to minimize the impact of the job killing employer mandates and regulation-caused rises in private health insurance premiums.
The problem is that the tax credit only lasts two years and largely excludes small business owners, small businesses with high-average payrolls, and firms with 25 or more workers. After all exclusions, essentially the only eligible firms are those firms with 10 or fewer workers as well as those with low-income workers—the least likely to offer coverage even with a significant price reduction.
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11 Responses to “NFIB: Senate Health Care Bill Is “A Disaster” for Small Businesses”
Bobbie Jay on November 20th, 2009 at 4:20pm said:
My Lord! Whatever happened to these people for them to turn to ruin their fellow mankind? I for one, am very hurt, disheartened, disappointed, that anyone, let alone IN THIS COUNTRY, would use their mentality to lower themselves to do one thing: position themselves to destroy the nature of human DECENCY. There is no GOP FEAR MONGERING! the bill SPEAKS VOLUMES! this generation of corruption has to be investigated. There should also be a concern of the high school, JROTC’S. I’ve met a few and wonder how and what they are being taught or trained to do? Very authoritative. Dictatorial. hmm?
IT IS BY GOVERNMENT FORCE WE GIVE UP OUR RIGHTS AND FREEDOMS AS HUMAN BEINGS?! the only “reform” ever needed is fair costs on everything “medical” of necessity to survive. Please, the free markets work and are held accountable. no tax increases was the promise. don’t do this to America.
Nicolai Alatzas on November 20th, 2009 at 4:20pm said:
The fundamental problem with passing a law in this country everyone’s agenda gets attached at the cost of the tax payers.
A public “Option” should not mandate anything. Other than allow people to exercise a public account that pools insurance rates paid in your taxes to take part in a health plan.
Look if you can make money selling health care you can surely make it cheaper and more effective. If we just worked together on the solution instead of arguing over the issue….
Sheri on November 20th, 2009 at 4:20pm said:
Insurance rates are going to go up under this bill because of all the federal and state mandates that so many different services be covered. My family has no need for such things as fertility treatments or drug abuse treatment but we will be forced to pay for them anyway.
This health care bill will cause many more people to lose their jobs and it will bankrupt the federal government. Care will be rationed as costs go up. Social Security, Medicare, and Medicare are already going broke. We don’t need any new federal spending programs.
Bobbie Jay on November 20th, 2009 at 4:20pm said:
It would be much more productive to work together without this bill hanging over our heads AND GOVERNMENT MANDATING UNFAIR PUNISHMENT AND RULES!
The most DANGEROUS, INCOMPETENT, INEPT words I hear coming from congress is “I don’t agree with the bill but I’m voting for it just to get it through!” KILL THE BILL!
Jon Johansen, Mandeville, LA. on November 20th, 2009 at 4:20pm said:
Remember, Lincoln’s “..of the people, by the people, for the people..” in his Gettysburg address? Well, this isn’t it. So no wonder that polls demonstrate a 90%+ disapproval of Congress. Yet most of them arrogantly ignore us. The healthcare overhaul and the non-stimulus “stimulus” are atrocities; overt efforts to drag America into the ditch of depotism. Both, logical outcomes after decades of s-l-o-w-l-y bringing the frog to boil. We’ve been apathetic.
Wake up America! We have moved far from the Godly and wise principles of our founding. Let’s regain them. Each must start with themselves. Notice I didn’t say “him/herself”. The third person imperfect tense is okay here. Political correctness is nonsense. (I also hold open the door for gentlemen as well as ladies.) So, let’s forgive ourselves, one another and get on with it. Focus on ‘my responsibility’ instead of ‘my rights’ and watch how much better we become.
As you do so, DEMAND the same of your elected officials.
Lincoln would be so proud!
billy37 on November 20th, 2009 at 4:20pm said:
This is really nuts, I think the health care issue is gonna destroy Obama.
Just check out what it says here…
http://ketiva.com/Politics_and_Government/bizarre_debates_over_us_health_care_reform1.html
Ed Harrison, Santa Clarita, CA on November 20th, 2009 at 4:20pm said:
This bill isn’t about health care…it’s about socialism…a liberal power grab. It’s about bankrupting this nation (Cloward-Pliven). It’s about redistribution of wealth…from the productive sector to the what’s-in-it-for-me crowd.
It’s a patchwork quilt of disasters (legislative time bombs) from the left.
As Abraham Lincoln said • “America will never be destroyed from the outside. If we falter and lose our freedoms, it will be because we destroyed ourselves.”
jim sardis,ms. on November 20th, 2009 at 4:20pm said:
i cannot believe there can be many informed people out there that do not understand the socialist agenda.the private sector has to go to insure government union jobs with government run HC,cap and trade and all the other big government takeovers.maybe,the cap and trade will include the US for redistributive funds since, we will be just like the poor countries that are supposed to share the wealth of the wealthy countries.
Freedom of Speech, TX on November 20th, 2009 at 4:20pm said:
The ironic thing is that the perpetrators of this economic and fiscal crime against the American Taxpayers will be long gone by the time the REAL IMPACT is realized.
They will be multi-millionaires with nice fat pensions, and secure both in home and person.
Many will undoubtedly become lobbyists and further fatten their personal fortunes. All of those government contacts DO come in handy, don’t they?
The worst thing is that they will blame everyone but themselves for destroying the opportunity for millions.
Joy , Flagstaff, AZ on November 20th, 2009 at 4:20pm said:
I agree with every comment above, especially those that believe this health care bill is simply a huge government spending plan that furthers the cause of socialism. It will increase taxes for everyone and eventually will exempt no-one. It will lead to rationed care and will reduce the quality of care. Where is tort reform in this bill! Without tort reform, we will have less doctors than we do now, and we don’t have enough now! We need more Libertarians in government so that we can start truly down-sizing government before our Country goes under.
Richard Harvey, Charlotte, MI on November 20th, 2009 at 4:20pm said:
I believe that all these huge, expensive bills are DESIGNED to destroy the country and the economy. By doing this, the admin. can CREATE a crisis that they can use to make even more people dependent upon the government.