For immediate release: September 23, 2009
Contact: Sam Blair, (603) 831-1835

Business Owners to Finance Senators: “Public Option Isn’t Optional”
Small businesses continue push to include choice of public plan in health reform

Washington, DC.—As the Senate Finance Committee continues its mark-up of health reform legislation into the evening hours and prepares to consider amendments relating to coverage issues, small business leaders from the Main Street Alliance reaffirmed their strong support for amending the bill to include a public health insurance option for small businesses and self-employed people.

“Small businesses need reform, it’s got to be comprehensive and it’s got to include a real public health insurance option – not co-ops or triggers,” said Kelly Conklin, owner of Foley-Waite Associates custom woodworking in Bloomfield, NJ and a member of the MSA National Executive Committee. “As far as we’re concerned, the public option is not optional – it’s an essential element of real reform.”

In the first day of Committee debate on Tuesday, six members of the Finance Committee – Sen. Bingaman (D-NM), Sen. Cantwell (D-WA), Sen. Menendez (D-NJ), Sen. Rockefeller (D-WV), Sen. Schumer (D-NY) and Sen. Stabenow (D-MI) – signaled their support for inclusion of a public health insurance option in their opening statements. Three of these Senators – Cantwell, Rockefeller and Schumer – filed amendments last week that would include a public option in the bill.

Molly Moon Nietzel, owner of Molly Moon’s Homemade Ice Cream in Seattle, WA and a member of the Washington Small Business for Secure Health Care Coalition, commented on Cantwell’s support for a public option:

“Senator Cantwell is showing real leadership and loyalty to her constituents by working to amend the Baucus Bill to provide small businesses and families the choice of purchasing a quality public health insurance plan. For small businesses to grow and build our economy, we have to fix health care this year, and it starts by providing more affordable choices. Increasing our choices with the addition of a public health insurance option competing with private insurers is essential to make health care affordable and keep the insurance industry honest.

Bottom line: the Baucus bill must be fixed. Until it is amended to strengthen affordability and provide the choice of a public health insurance plan, the bill is simply a gift to the insurance industry. We applaud Senator Cantwell for standing up for Washington families and small businesses by working to fix the Baucus bill and pass real health care reform this year.”

Along with support for a public option, the Main Street Alliance is also encouraging Finance Committee Senators to support stronger affordability measures to give small business owners and employees real security, and replace the flawed “free rider” proposal that would push businesses to discriminate against lower-income employees with a system of shared responsibility to spread health care costs fairly.

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Posted: September 23, 2009 at 5:07 pm