Small Businesses And The High Cost Of Health Insurance

Floor Speech

Mr. Speaker, in the last few weeks, I have been going around my district visiting main streets and talking to small businesses, and they have been appreciative of the efforts we have made with the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act.

But they recognize something else, and that is, even if the economy begins to come back, and we hope that that's happening, they understand that as small businesses, they're still grappling with the high cost of purchasing health insurance coverage. In fact, if you look at the 45 million Americans who currently lack insurance coverage in this country, about 28 million of them are employed by small businesses or are the proprietors of small businesses.

That's why I'm glad that the President's health care proposal building on the ideas in this Chamber addresses this important grievance that small businesses have and is designed to give them more access to an affordable health insurance market. That is absolutely critical for their long-term economic stability.

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