Healthcare & Business: United States

You may or may not have heard the buzz behind the failure of the GOP’s promise to repeal & replace Obamacare. There has been on either side of political lines a great amount of controversy regarding how the bill would affect not only private citizens, but business owners. Republican interests, citing the NFIB’s Problem & Priority Survey claim that the cost of health insurance is their primary business concern; and has been for 30 years.

Republicans also claim that the AHCA will eliminate the Obamacare tax; and delays implementation of the Cadillac tax on employers. The Democratic effort of SHOP – an initiative that was meant to give 1 million people healthcare through providing employee options for healthcare coverage - Republicans have deemed generally unsuccessful and have cited its removal as a pathway to expansion for small businesses. Their reasoning? The law, by 2015 had enrolled *only* 85,000 people and had “penalties” for small business owners contributing to their employee’s insurance.

The small business owner might believe upon a cursory glance at the GOP’s proposal that a law allowing them to purchase more competitive healthcare plans for their employees. The belief is that overall the Affordable Care Act creates too much of a financial strain on small businesses with its current regulations and keeps  small business owners from expanding their businesses and hiring new employees.

A much forgotten fact in the Republican analysis of the healthcare bills is that business owners, are themselves, private citizens. Many of whom are relying on the private and public healthcare system currently in place to provide healthcare to themselves and their families. Many business owners personally and professionally benefit from the ACA, especially with its provisions for those with pre-existing conditions.

The Affordable Care Act gave for provisions for the 1 in 4 American citizens currently diagnosed with a pre-existing conditions to have access to not only healthcare; but healthcare without punishing premiums for the quarter of the population with health problems that under the AHCA – would be uninsurable.

What are your thoughts on the AHCA’s proposed healthcare bill? How has your business fared during the reign of the ACA? Let us know HERE.