Obama Says Health Plan Benefits Small Business
By JEFF ZELENY
WASHINGTON — President Obama on Saturday sought to build support for his health care plan, arguing that small business owners would benefit because they could purchase coverage through an insurance exchange and receive tax credits in return for providing benefits to employees.
“They are getting crushed by skyrocketing health care costs,” Mr. Obama said. “Because they lack the bargaining power that large businesses have and face higher administrative costs per person, small businesses pay up to 18 percent more for the very same health insurance plans — costs that eat into their profits and get passed on to their employees.”
In his weekly radio and Internet address, Mr. Obama pressed ahead with his argument for why the nation’s health care system must be overhauled, barely mentioning that the legislation has been delayed in the House and the Senate until after the August Congressional recess.
The Council of Economic Advisers released a report on Saturday to counter Republican criticism that Democratic health care plans would be costly to small business owners.
“Small businesses are much less likely to offer health insurance. Those that do tend to have less generous plans,” Mr. Obama said. “In a recent survey, one-third of small businesses reported cutting benefits. Many have dropped coverage altogether, and many have shed jobs, or shut their doors entirely.”
In the weekly Republican address, Representative Cathy McMorris Rodgers of Washington argued that the Democratic proposals were “bankrolled by a small business tax.” She argued that jobs would “evaporate” under the Democratic health care plan because businesses could not afford to meet their payrolls.
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http://www.nytimes.com/2009/07/26/us/26radio.html?_r=1&hp