Anita Campbell's Small Business Radio show spotlights the challenge of small companies providing healthcare for their employees. The show is Small Business Health Care Update. Her guest on this show is Dawn Rivers Baker, Editor and Publisher of The MicroEnterprise Journal (http://www.microenterprisejournal.com)
You can listen live: (http://tinyurl.com/2k4rfq). I will.
Taking care of our employees is...as important as taking care of our customers. We can't take care of our customers without our employees first taking care of our employees. Health care is a critical component of this effort to take care, inspire, motivate, empower, unleash our employees to build our company by making our customers happy. Yet, as a small company we face a huge disadvantage compared to our larger brethren as we look to offer healthcare as a company benefit.
The disadvantage is not the fault of small companies nor that of large companies. (I'm sure the large companies do nothing to erase this advantage. ) Insurance companies price a group plan based on both the numbers of potential members and the relative health of each potential member. Makes sense, kinda. Their thinking seems to be that each group plan is its own profit center. Any claims then are considered against the revenues derived by the member premiums. One claim against a group plan of thousands of members has minimal impact on that group's profit. Not so with a small group.
The bigger picture seems to be that this business model has overwhelmed the insurance industry. They've followed it lockstep to the tune of hundreds of thousands of potential members in each state, employed in small businesses, being locked out of health care coverage and the premiums they would generate for the company. A lack of premiums doesn't mean a lack of health care needs, though.
And this state of affairs means too many small businesses compete for qualified talent against larger companies with one hand and a partial elbow tied behind their back. That's the lack of an affordable health care plan. Small businesses drive job growth. They drive innovation. They always have. They always will if...if a solution for their health care needs, one that recognizes the impact of small business on our economy and the lives of our communities.
Back to Anita Campbell's Small Business Trends Radio and her show today. I'm anxious to hear an update on policy, politics and small business health insurance. Here's to a wonderful surprise awaiting me.
This article is interesting even if you don't own your own business. It outlines the importance of health care insurance for small businesses so that they may offer them to their employees. Some people take jobs based on benefits more so than the pay or other elements because of the health crisis we are experiencing in this country. If you can't afford the high premiums of health care, and who can, then you have the option of opening your own business and then you are faced with this Catch-22 situation of offering insurance to your employees. We all must take some responsibility for our future health care and not depend on the failing system. The AARP knows this and they are addressing the issue with their website: http://www.thisissoridiculous.com At this site, we can sign their petition and have our voices heard and also remain informed. I am aware of this because I am working to support AARP in their endeavor.
Posted by: Margie | November 27, 2007 at 06:31 PM