Small Business Owner Speaks Out on HealthCare Reform – Citing their Own Experience with the Threat of Being Cancelled

I like to see articles of such as the owner of a small business talks about “real life” experiences. The company was a bit late with premium payments and thus was ready to be cancelled. When small companies can’t financially afford the cost, they either close up shop or drop the employer insurance. This company was able to spend days with re-negotiating their policy, and it took valuable time away from other areas of the business too. It is written non partisan for the most part and just states facts on what happened and how they feel reform certainly could not hurt the small business with alternatives. If the small businesses go away, then that of course means fewer jobs. Many companies won’t even talk with small business owners too. Recently in the news too Senator Rockefeller asked Cigna if they saved money by dropping small businesses. BD

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We got a letter earlier this month from our company health-insurance provider, informing us that our policy had been canceled for late payment of the premium. No warning or notice, just a cancellation letter. After lots of begging and pleading, a $3,700 check, and four days of heartburn for yours truly, we got it reinstated.

I suspected that the real reason for the cancellation was that we had the audacity to actually file some significant claims. The policy has a $5,000 deductible, but I had an appendectomy last year (about $18,000) and a few other claims as well. The insurance company assured us that this was not the case: Lots of small businesses had gotten cancellation notices, because lots of companies are falling behind on their premiums in this economy and the insurance company is cracking down.

I can understand why insurance companies, pharmaceutical companies, and doctors and other health care providers would oppose reform; it will reduce their pricing power, and thus possibly reduce their income. I can understand why rich people might oppose it, too: Health care isn't a problem for them, and they'll probably have to pay more taxes to solve it for other people. And I can understand why Republicans, as a political strategy, would oppose reform: Failure would be a big defeat for Obama, and a successful reform would be a big feather in the Democratic cap.

But the notion that health care reform is bad for small businesses is little more than a purposefully misleading bag of rhetoric that has nothing to do with the real issues facing small businesses. I desperately hope that most business owners see through it and communicate with their elected representatives accordingly.

Your Health Policy Has Been Canceled | The Big Money