Small Business Owners Getting Crushed by Rising Health Care Costs
Now more than ever, business owners are clamoring to attract and keep good employees. A company’s greatest asset is its workforce, and its becoming harder to provide benefits for them.
What’s Happening
The current recession is placing a heavy burden on America’s businesses, and small businesses especially. Just about every industry, with the exception of the oil industry and a few others, is hurting badly. Retail products, services, real estate, and automobiles have seen a significant slump in sales. Many businesses that want health care are afraid to get it, and many that have health care are finding themselves struggling to afford it. A large number of companies are now even asking employees to make a contribution to their plans, usually about 25%.
The cost of health care is at the center of the health care reform debate. The government is trying to come up with a solution to the mounting financial problems faced by not only business owners, but the nation as a whole. There have been talks of tax credits for employers with health coverage, but no formal resolution has arrived. Furthermore, any bills that do eventually get passed probably won’t go into affect for another four or five years. There seems to be no quick relief in sight for small business owners.
The Good News
Many big name insurance companies (Aetna, Blue Cross, Assurant, Allstate etc.) have realized the need for insurance plans that cater to the small business. Most are offering customizable plans, which are easily accessible and manageable through online databases. These plans are also made to fit the size and needs of any individual business. There are also more plan options available for small business owners than before, giving them some more control and putting money back in their pockets.
What You Can Do
Get some insurance quotes. Use a service like EHealthInsurance and compare rates and plans side by side. The internet provides free, instant access to all the information you need. Hop on Google or Yahoo and look for small business health insurance providers. You can, and you will , save money. Now is the best time!
This article was written by Julian Floyd. For risk-free no-obligation insurance quotes, visit http://www.esmallbusinesshealthinsurance.com
Watch the video related to health care reform bill
December 21, 2008 3:17 am 
By Tracy Turnblad, December 21, 2008 @ 4:21 am
First of all, Obama wants to make insurance more available to all and change the system so that it is cheaper. He also wants change so that the insurance companies find it harder to get out of paying for treatment. The system he is proposing looks similar to that which works in Holland and Switzerland where private companies are involved in providing insurance.
Second, of course universal health-cover sucks. That is why we in Western Europe have it. We think, hmm, our healthcare system sucks. I know, lets keep it. I guess that is the same with Japan and Canada as well.
Third, Obama campaigned on reforming the healthcare system. He said he wanted to make insurance more available and he was elected by the American people to do this.
FACT – the US has higher death rates for kids both for kids aged under one and those under five than western European countries with universal health coverage.
FACT – American insurance companies push up prices and work to stop paying out claims on those they cover.
FACT – the USA spends more on healthcare PER PERSON than any other nation on the planet.
That means that a dead American four year old would have had a better chance of life if they were born in Canada, France, Cuba, Germany, Japan etc, all of which have universal health coverage.
Last of all if you do not like the policies that Obama was elected to bring in, he can always be voted out of office in 2012.
By TomStar81, December 21, 2008 @ 4:40 am
Yes you are talking about TORT reform. the Democrats do not want to touch the Lawyers. it seems the Lawyers are in the democrats pocket.*
By URL Shortener, December 21, 2008 @ 3:19 am
dude, you own! this looks identical to a photograph
By Youtube Downloader, December 21, 2008 @ 3:57 am
véiiiiiiiiiiiiiiii, que difuu
By skinnyblink7, December 21, 2008 @ 10:34 am
the new york times has an interactive feature which is actually very clear to understand. check it out.
By Short, Fast, and Loud, December 21, 2008 @ 10:48 pm
Obama does not have a bill. He has only given guidelines to what he wants. His last address made it more specific.
The bills in congress are not healthcare bills. They are health coverage bills. The government is trying to take control of a large portion of our economy. They are trying to make it so the government is a single payer source (I know i will get thumbs down for this, but follow hr3200 to its logical conclusion).
The current bills want to cover everybody in the US (Illegals too, there is nothing in these bills to prevent illegals from being covered. Amendments to ensure citizenship were tabled)
The federal government wants to punish you for not having insurance (they will get your money one way or another)
The government wants to regulate what care you will get. (When the system becomes overblaoted as any government system does, they will have 2 options increase taxes or ration care)
I know that there are a lot of people that will disagree with this. If they actually read the bills, and follow to there logical conclusions, in 10 years we will be a whole lot worse of than we are now. So doing nothing would actually be cheaper.
Reform must actually deal with the underlaying problems. HR 320o does not. Obama gave lip service to 1 of them.
By URL Shortener, December 22, 2008 @ 5:55 pm
awesome stuff man,….ama practice hard to get to yo level!
By The Conservative Resistance, December 22, 2008 @ 11:38 pm
Under any Democrat President in history, the same M.O. emerges.
The Democrats "identify" a "crisis" and whip the people up into a frenzy about it. They proclaim themselves the carriers of the elixir that will heroically save all mankind from this "crisis.'' When Republicans seek to oppose the spending it will take for this elixir, they are automatically called hate mongers and obstructionists.
Clinton tried it with school lunch menus. He whipped that whole thing into some kind of "crisis." The Democrats wanted to raise the program by 10% and the Republicans wanted to raise it by 7%. That got reported in the media as a 3% CUT by Republicans. Only when a Democrat is President could an INCREASE be reported as a CUT. Just to make Republicans look bad, but too many people buy into the bullshit.
Al Gore, who wasn't even President, tried it with global warming and it didn't work. Today, it's health care. What'll it be tomorrow? The whole "world is ending in 2012" thing, or what?
By Anonymous, December 23, 2008 @ 11:37 am
HOLY CRAP! Comparing this to the original picture, they’re identical!