Texas small biz — many like Obamacare

Posted below without comment is an in-depth email about that:




FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Contact:
Erin Musgrave
Communications Director
Small Business Majority
(831) 477-0453
emusgrave@smallbusinessmajority.org

Plurality of Texas Small Business Owners Want Healthcare Law Upheld; Only a Third Want it Overturned

Opinion polling released today shows nearly half of Texas small businesses believe the Supreme Court should uphold the Affordable Care Act, either as is or with minor changes; poll finds strong support for key provisions in the law

June 14, 2012

Nearly half (48 percent) of small business owners in Texas want the healthcare reform law upheld—either as is or with minor changes—while only 36 percent want the Supreme Court to overturn it, according to opinion polling released today by Small Business Majority. However, once small business owners in Texas learn more about the law, their support for keeping it intact, either as is or with minor changes, rises to 54 percent, while opposition falls to 32 percent.

The Supreme Court is expected to hand down its decision any day in the case against the healthcare reform law, filed by the National Federation of Independent Business (NFIB) and state attorneys general.

“Contrary to popular belief, small business owners in Texas do not want the high court to throw out the Affordable Care Act,” said John Arensmeyer, Founder & CEO of Small Business Majority. “They see this law as helping everyone have coverage and bringing down healthcare costs—something that has been one of their top concerns for years. We hope Supreme Court justices understand how important this law is to small businesses who need relief from high healthcare costs.”

Key provisions of the law also have strong small business support, including one of the most crucial components for small businesses—the health insurance exchanges. The Affordable Care Act calls for exchanges—online marketplaces where small businesses can pool their buying power when purchasing coverage—to be up and running in every state by 2014. Nearly two-thirds, or 62 percent, of owners in Texas say they would use their state exchange or consider using it to provide their employees with health benefits. What’s more, the majority of entrepreneurs find potential features of the exchange very appealing, including employee choice (74 percent), the exchange educating employees about plans (71 percent) and the exchange providing plans that offer prevention and wellness programs (68 percent). And a majority (59 percent) support Texas applying for federal funds to set one up.

“We’re incredibly proud to be able to offer insurance to our employees, but if the healthcare law is overturned we’d be priced out entirely. That would be unacceptable after struggling to provide it for more than 16 years,” said Larry Emerson, co-owner of Results Video, Inc. in El Paso, Texas. “I hear a lot about small businesses wanting this law struck down, but that’s not true for me and it obviously isn’t true for many of my fellow entrepreneurs. I sincerely hope our Supreme Court justices listen to what real small businesses are saying about this law and uphold it. Going back to the status quo would be unthinkable.”

Other key findings from the poll:

47 percent of small businesses who support upholding the law believe it should be kept because we need to make sure everyone has health coverage; 29 percent say it’s because it will make it easier to purchase insurance
66 percent support the medical loss ratio requirement, where insurers are required to spend at least 80 percent of premiums on healthcare claims and quality improvement efforts
69 percent support “rate review,” where state regulators are allowed to review and approve or reject insurers’ increases they deem excessive
64 percent support prohibiting insurers from denying coverage based on preexisting conditions
 59 percent support preventing insurance companies from basing insurance rates on health status; 69 percent support preventing insurers from charging women higher rates than men
62 percent favor allowing young people up to age 26 to stay on their parents’ plans
53 percent of small business owners provide insurance to at least some of their employees, but of those who don’t offer it, 74 percent say it’s because they can’t afford it
Of small businesses who do offer benefits, respondents said the two most compelling reasons to offer were because they felt they had a responsibility to offer it (52 percent) and because it helps keep employees healthy and productive (45 percent)
Nearly half of all small businesses (48 percent) said they’d be more likely to offer insurance if they qualified for a tax credit and 47 percent said they’d be more likely to purchase insurance through an exchange if they could receive a tax credit


To read the full report go online here.