Senators, Small Business Majority Seek to Rally Support for Health Care Reform for Small Business

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On Wednesday, December 9, Senators Mary Landrieu (D-LA), Blanche Lincoln (D-AR), and Debbie Stabenow (D-MI) joined Terry Gardiner of the Small Business Majority and Mike Brey, a small business owner from Maryland, at a press conference to unveil a package of amendments to the Senate health care reform bill that would benefit small businesses. To keep the momentum on health care reform going, the Small Business Majority is urging small businesses, including independent booksellers, in key states to reach out to their legislators and write letters to the editors of local newspapers to share their stories about how the current health care crisis has hurt their businesses.

At yesterday's press conference, the senators stressed that their amendments would level the playing field for small businesses by lowering costs, increasing competitiveness, and making health care more stable for entrepreneurs.

"The Senate bill is a step forward toward more affordable and stable coverage for our nation's 29 million small businesses," Landrieu said. "But our work is not complete. Our amendments would strengthen the bill by extending and enhancing the tax credits for small businesses, ensuring the insurance exchanges are as robust as possible, and eliminating penalties associated with waiting periods, just to name a few initiatives."

This week, the U.S. Senate Committee on Small Business and Entrepreneurship released two documents to help small businesses learn more about the health care reform bill and how it will affect their business:

Terry Gardiner of the Small Business Majority, said at the press conference, "We appreciate the leadership of the Small Business Committee... and how they have truly listed to the needs of small businesses when it comes to reducing the burden on small business owners to provide insurance coverage to their employees. The last time Congress worked to reform the health insurance system in our country, the business community walked away from the table. The business community should not make that mistake again, and Small Business Majority will continue to work with the Small Business Committee and all Senators to pass meaningful health reform that will benefit all small businesses."

To keep the momentum going for health insurance reform, the Small Business Majority (SBM) is seeking help from small business owners:

  • SBM is asking small business owners, including independent booksellers, to write letters to the editor or op-eds, sharing their stories about how the health care crisis has affected their businesses. To make the task easier for business owners, SBM has created templates that can be adapted and sent to newspapers.
  • SBM is asking small businesses in Connecticut, Maine (Sen. Snowe), Indiana (Sen. Bayh), Nebraska, North Dakota, Arkansas (Sen. Lincoln), and Louisiana (Sen. Landrieu) to use one of their template letters to thank senators for voting to bring the bill to the floor for debate. The letter also asks them to stay engaged and work towards a reform bill this year.
  • SBM is also encouraging small businesses in 12 key congressional districts to adapt a template letter that thanks their representatives for voting for H.R. 3962 (the House health care reform bill) and encourages them to keep reform a top priority.

    The specific representatives and districts are as follows:

    Arcuri, New York, 24th
    Driehaus, Ohio, 1st (Cincinnati)
    Ellsworth, Indiana, 8th (Terre Haute, Evansville)
    Halvorson, Illinois, 11th (Bloomington, Joliet)
    Hill, Indiana, 9th (Southern Indiana, Jeffersonville)
    Himes, Connecticut, 4th (Bridgeport, Stamford)
    Kilroy, Ohio, 15th (Columbus)
    Kirkpatrick, Arizona, 1st (Flagstaff, Eastern AZ)
    Maffei, New York, 25th (Syracuse, Rochester)
    Owens, New York, 23rd (Syracuse)
    Peters, Michigan, 9th (Troy, Pontiac)
    Schauer, Michigan, 7th (Jackson)
    Shea-Porter, New Hampshire, 1st (Dover)

To obtain any of the template letters, business owners should contact Erin Musgrave of SBM at (831) 477-0453 or via e-mail at [email protected].

In California, SBM is inviting businesses throughout the state to join in a conference call during the week of December 14. For more information, contact John Karatzas of SBM at (415) 887-9861 or e-mail [email protected]. --David Grogan