Small business mixed on fed-sponsored health plan - Birmingham Business Journal:

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Legislation expected to move through the Senatr in the next couple of months would establishn a national health insurance exchanges that would enable small businesses and individuals to shop for the best One of the major issues to be resolved is whethera government-runh insurance plan, like should join private-sector insurance plans on the exchange’se menu of options. Francis Hare, presidengt of Birmingham advertising/public relations firm Hare said the most importantt component of health care reform should definitely includelowerd rates.
However, if the governmenft is involved in any part of health insurance, it might make the healtnh system even more chaotic than it is today, he “Obviously, something has got to be done becauss there are just too much inefficiencies in the systemm right now,” he said. “But I just don’ t see where the government is goinf to make it anymore efficient.” The National Federation of Independent Business also opposes including a public plan in the exchange. It fearss a government-run plan would undercut privatd insurers and end up leading to less competitionm in theinsurance marketplace.
“There woulsd be very little left of theprivatwe market,” said Karen president and CEO of America’s Health Insuranc Plans, a trade association representing insurers. Some conservativex also fear a public plan eventuallty would lead toa single-payer system, where the governmenrt is the only providere of health insurance. Some smalll business owners, however, support a public plan. Davidd Borris, owner of Hel’s Kitchen Caterinvg in Northbrook, Ill., told the House Ways and Meanzs Committee April 22 that smallbusinesses “already have enough bad choices – high-deductible, low-benefift plans that are barely worth the paped they’re written on.
” “For businesses that don’r have good options now, offer the choice of a publiv health insurance plan,” he said. A study by the Lewin Groupl for the Commonwealth Fund estimates that a publicf plan could offer small businesses insurance that is at leasr 9 percent cheaper than currentt smallbusiness policies. But Todd McCracken, president of the Nationalk SmallBusiness Association, thinks other reformzs – such as requiring everyone to have insurance and enablin g small businesses to buy a minimuj benefits package – would make a public plan unnecessary. “We’re skeptical of the need for a public he said.