Small Business Endangered by Health Insurance Reform

(St. Paul/Minneapolis) - The Citizens' Council on Health Care (CCHC) today releases a new policy brief on the impact of pending health insurance reform on Small Business:

Small Business Endangered by Health Insurance Reform - An Overview of Major Tax and Regulatory Requirements that Federal Health Reform Legislation Would Impose on Small Employers

"The health insurance reform bills proposed by Speaker Pelosi and Senator Reid pose serious threats to the viability of small businesses across the country," says Twila Brase, president of CCHC, and co-author of the policy brief.

"If small businesses can no longer thrive under the proposed health insurance reform legislation, the projected cost of the pending bills is far too low. If enacted, we would expect fewer Americans to have jobs and more Americans to become dependent on the government for health care," she says.

The policy brief's Executive Summary provides key findings from the House and Senate health insurance reform bills, including page and line citations, including:

• New Taxes - New taxes and assessments are imposed on business for failure to provide coverage, employee use of tax credits, waiting periods for insurance eligibility, funding for state health insurance exchanges, high-income individuals.
• Play or Pay - The House bill penalizes businesses that do not provide health benefits with taxes at 2 - 8% of payroll. These rates are not indexed for inflation.
• Limits Business Expansion - The House bill