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Nine Out of 10 Voters Support Small Business Health Plans, NAR Testifies
WASHINGTON (April 20, 2005) – National Association of Realtors® President Al Mansell told the U.S. Senate Committee on Small Business and Entrepreneurship today that almost nine out of 10 voters favor the concept of small business health plans.
Mansell urged the Senate to pass the Small Business Health Fairness Act, which is one of NAR’s top priorities. The bill would allow small businesses and self-employed workers to band together through a trade or professional association to negotiate lower health insurance costs for participants. Small business health plans would operate under the same rules as federally-regulated large corporate and union plans that provide group health insurance to all participants regardless of where they live.
When small business health plans are described to voters, 89 percent favor the concept, according to a recent survey of 800 registered voters by Public Opinion Strategies. Even when presented with arguments against small business health plans, 88 percent of voters continued to support the concept. The survey also showed that support for small business health plans crosses party lines, with almost equal percentages of Democrats, Independents and Republicans supporting the concept.
“For the most part, Realtors® are small business people or independent contractors who struggle to find quality, affordable health care for their employees and families,” said Mansell, CEO of Coldwell Banker Residential Brokerage in Salt Lake City. “Small business health plans will give small business and self-employed workers the same right to quality, affordable health insurance as corporate employees and union members. Realtors® are doing everything we can to see that small business health plan legislation is enacted this year. ”
The American public and small business owners share NAR’s support for a level playing field when it comes to affordable health insurance. According to a separate survey of small business owners of firms with 50 or fewer employees also conducted by Public Opinion Strategies, 77 percent said they would be likely to participate in a small business health plan were it available.
A significant number of America’s 45 million uninsured citizens work for small businesses who cannot afford to offer quality health insurance benefits to their workers. According to a recent survey of NAR members, 28 percent – more than 330,000 – of NAR’s almost 1.2 million members are uninsured. Only 7 percent of real estate firms offer health care coverage for independent contractors, who are the largest segment of real estate agents.
The figures are more disconcerting when you consider the reasons for lack of coverage. Only 7 percent of those uninsured named a preexisting condition as the reason. Nearly three-quarters cited the cost of coverage as the biggest barrier.
The Small Business Health Fairness Act, S. 406, was introduced earlier this year by Committee Chairwoman Olympia Snowe (R-Maine) along with Sens. Jim Talent (R-Mo.) and Kit Bond (R-Mo.). Companion legislation, H.R. 525, was introduced in the House by Reps. John Boehner (R-Ohio), Sam Johnson (R-Texas), Nydia Velazquez (D-N.Y.) and Albert Wynn (D-Md.).
The legislation was reported out of the House Committee on Education and Workforce last month and now has a bipartisan list of more than 135 cosponsors. The bill is identical to legislation that passed the House twice last year with bipartisan support. President Bush also signaled his strong support by highlighting the issue in his State of the Union address this year.
To learn more about SBHPs, click here.
The National Association of Realtors®, “The Voice for Real Estate,” is America’s largest trade association, representing more than 1 million members involved in all aspects of the residential and commercial real estate industries.
For more information contact:
Linda M. Johnson, 202/383-7536
lmjohnson@realtors.org
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