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CHICAGO SMALL BUSINESS OWNERS CALL OUT HUMANA: “STOP BLOCKING HEALTH CARE REFORM”

Illinois Main Street Alliance business owners highlight the need for health care reform, demand health insurer stop opposing the public health insurance option 

Chicago, Illinois.—On Tuesday, as the Senate Finance Committee passed its health care reform bill, Illinois small business owners gathered at DKP Image + Media to emphasize that small businesses will continue to suffer if comprehensive reform with a public health insurance option is not enacted.  Furthermore, they demanded that the insurance companies end their campaign against the public health insurance option by taking their case directly to the Chicago office of one of the nation’s largest insurers, Humana.

Tuesday’s press conference and presentation were part of the Main Street Alliance network’s national day of action, with Chicago-area business owners joining small businesses coalitions from nine other states to highlight the need for health care reform and demand that the insurance industry stop obstructing needed changes. Main Street Alliance members presented Humana with a sack of coal and a “Thanks for Nothing” card. Main Street Alliance members are asking that Humana and other insurers stop their campaign – at a price tag of over $500,000 a day – to defeat the public health insurance option and block comprehensive health care reform.

“They won’t even take my money right now,” said Dan Sherry of the health insurers. “They shut me out of the system because of a pre-existing condition. And now they are spending these huge sums to deny people like me any alternative. It’s a classic Catch-22.”

The Senate Finance Committee’s health care bill passed 14-9 with Senator Olympia Snowe of Maine the lone Republican supporter. The committee failed to muster enough votes to include a public health insurance option in the bill, breaking with the Senate HELP Committee and three House committees that reported bills with non-profit, public plans. Main Street Alliance members were pleased to see action in the Finance Committee, but pointed out that without a public option insurers would continue to discriminate against small businesses by arbitrarily raising rates.

“The insurance companies and their lobbyists are trying to hijack reform so they can keep padding their profits at our expense”, said David Kogan, owner of DKP Image + Media. “They are going to get new customers; we should get more choices – including the choice of a public option.”

Recent estimates from the Congressional Budget Office have indicated that inclusion of a strong public option in the reform package would save on the order of $110 billion in federal dollars over 10 years. Small businesses could expect to reap major savings as well, through direct participation in a public plan and lower premiums in a more competitive private insurance market.

 

 

Filed under: Illinois by jmeerdink No Comments »
Posted: October 13, 2009 at 2:15 pm