Fax Senator Cantwell:

“Small Businesses Need Health Care Reform”

 

Small businesses need health reform to do our part for economic recovery.

 

Every year, we pay higher prices for more and more limited private insurance coverage, if we’re able to afford anything all.  That’s why we support President Obama’s proposal to provide an alternative to private insurance: a choice of a public health insurance plan.    

 

The non-partisan Commonwealth Fund recently found that a public health insurance plan would save small businesses 20-30 percent on premiums.  For businesses that don’t have good options now, having this choice will give us greater bargaining power, encourage competition among insurers to make costs affordable, and provide a guarantee of quality coverage we can count on.

 

Send a fax to Senator Cantwell today urging her to support health reform that provides small businesses the choice of a public health insurance plan.

 

Sample Fax:

 

Dear Senator Cantwell,

 

As a small business owner, I urge you to support health care reform that gives small businesses the choice of a public health insurance plan.  I’ve been a small business owner for 7 years.  I own Jane’s Cafe in Capitol Hill, and I have five employees.  I want to offer health care for my workers, but it’s just too expensive.  I’m willing to contribute, but I can’t go it alone.

 

Small business is the engine of our economy.  We can create the jobs to revitalize the economy, but we need to fix health care.  I believe we need the choice of a public health insurance plan to make it work.  A public health insurance plan will give us real options, real bargaining power, and increase competition to drive down costs for everyone.  I hope you will be a champion for us.

 

Sincerely,

Jane Doe, Owner

Jane’s Café

315 Summit Ave E., Capitol Hill

 

Send your letter to:

 

Senator Maria Cantwell's fax number is 202-228-0514.  Also, fax us a copy at 206-389-0049, so we can keep track of how many faxes have been sent in.

Background:

 

The private insurance industry has failed small businesses:

• Small businesses and self-employed people pay more for less coverage.
• A majority of uninsured workers in Washington are employed in small businesses.
• Private insurers offer no guarantee against pre-existing condition exclusions or claims denials. 

 

Choice of a public health insurance plan will benefit small businesses:

• Expand choice – the free market has left small businesses struggling with limited choices from private insurance companies that are either too expensive or offer inadequate coverage.
• Increase competition – give us bargaining power to keep the private insurers honest.
• Reduce costs – Right now, small businesses face higher premiums and administrative costs because we’re small.  A public insurance plan will lower costs and increase efficiency through increased bargaining power, broader risk sharing, reduced administrative costs, and simply putting our money toward health care, not CEO salaries, insurance lobbyists and marketing.  Premiums for a new public plan are projected to be 20-30 percent lower than average premiums in the individual/small employer private market.
• Provide a guaranteed backup – Give us security and peace of mind.  Entrepreneurs should be able to start a business without fear of losing health coverage.
• Increase transparency and accountability – Right now, how do we know if our health care dollars are being spent well?  There’s no way to know.

 

It’s time for health care reform with the choice of a public health insurance plan.

• Obama supports it.  "Health-care reform cannot wait, it must not wait, and it will not wait another year” (Barack Obama, February 2009).  President Obama proposed guaranteeing individuals and small businesses the choice of private or public health insurance plans during his campaign.
• Small businesses support it.  A survey of small businesses by the Main Street Alliance shows small businesses support the choice of a public health insurance plan by a nearly 2-1 margin.
• The public supports it.  A new poll from Celinda Lake shows 73% of voters support choice between private and public plans, including Democrats (77%), Independents (79%) and Republicans (63%).