Wednesday, August 12, 2009

Letter: Health care breakdown breaks small businesses

Kristeen Carney
St. Augustine
Publication Date: 08/07/09

Editor: Our health care system is broken, and American small businesses urgently need a solution.

Across the country, more than one third of small businesses have been forced to reduce benefits in recent years.

Since the early 1990s, about a third of small business owners have had to drop coverage for employees altogether.

It's hard for small business to create jobs if they also have to bear the weight of skyrocketing premiums.

Congress must pass real health insurance reform in 2009. If we fail to act:

More Americans will lose their coverage, more businesses will close their doors and rising costs will continue to explode our deficits.

Within a decade, one out of every five dollars we earn will be spent on health care.

The amount our government spends on Medicare and Medicaid will eventually grow larger than what our government spends today on everything else combined.

We're counting on Congress to pass real health insurance reform in 2009.

All should consider sharing their personal stories about how the impact of high costs, restrictive plans or insufficient coverage have affected them, their businesses and their loved ones.

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