Healthcare For Small Businesses
According to the United States Chamber of Commerce, more than 44 million Americans are uninsured, with nearly 60% of those employed by small businesses. This is significant because most small businesses do not offer comprehensive health coverage for their employees because of the cost to the employer. This means that employees of small businesses have to find a way to get health insurance for themselves. However, as the cost of health care continues to escalate in the United States, more employees (such as the ones who work for smaller businesses) will no longer be able to afford health coverage, which will lead to an increased number of people without health coverage.
Recognizing how small business owners have been struggling to provide health insurance coverage for themselves and their employees, The Chamber of Commerce promoted the passage of legislation that would create federally regulated small business health plans (SBHPs). According to the U.S. Chamber of commerce, these SBHPs would allow small businesses to arrange their health benefits through associations thereby making coverage more affordable by spreading risk among a much larger group, strengthening negotiating power with plans and providers, offering insurance across state lines, and reducing administrative costs. This debate for Small Business Health Plan legislation has been ongoing for over a decade now and was just heard in the Senate for the first time back in 2006. The Senate would’ve played a key role in passing the vote for “The Health Insurance Marketplace Modernization and Affordability Act of 2006,” but ended just five votes short of the 60 votes needed to avoid a filibuster and move to a final vote.
BCBSNC Supports the “Little Guys”
Despite the fact that there has been much speculation over whether or not small businesses will eventually get the votes they need, some insurance companies (such as BCBSNC) have begun to support small businesses in terms of providing affordable health care coverage. Blue Cross Blue Shield of North Carolina (BCBSNC), for example, has been offering over a decade of healthcare coverage and services to fit every small business budget all throughout North Carolina. BCBSNC offers free quotes on several of their plan options to small business companies that have less than 50 employees. They have over 1,000 plans for companies to choose from, so contact BCBSNC today by visiting their web site or by calling them at 1.800.615.5980 or locally at 919.510.5980.
