Small Business Reacts to Supreme Court Decision

WASHINGTON, June 28, 2012 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- In the aftermath of the Supreme Court's decision to uphold the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (PPACA), the National Small Business Association (NSBA) is urging lawmakers to commit to working toward serious health care cost containment. Addressing the myriad problems with the U.S. health care system continues to be a top priority of the small-business community, and no issue is of bigger concern than cost.

"NSBA was the first national small-business group to propose a broad reform of the health care system back in 2004," stated NSBA President and CEO Todd McCracken. "Unfortunately, the Affordable Care Act fell far shy of much needed cost containment—something we hope Congress will take to heart as they move forward."

NSBA, while opting not to participate in the Supreme Court proceedings, ultimately opposed PPACA due to its failure truly address health care costs and insurance premium prices. Health care costs are among the largest facing small businesses, and absent reforms to PPACA, will continue to grow at an unsustainable pace.

Congress and the administration now must turn their attention to making significant changes to the existing law and taking administrative steps to address our enormous health cost pressures:

• Reduce Costs and Improve Quality: implement broad, uniform use of health IT; reimburse providers based on quality and outcomes; develop evidence-based protocols for providers; significantly increased market-based consumer behavior; and reform medical malpractice laws.
• Reshape the Third-Party Payment System: develop a basic benefit package as a floor for all individuals; redirect tax incentives to match both the purchaser—individual or employer—and the cost of the basic benefit package; and end unlimited subsidies of third-party payments to inject the system with consumerism and competition based on quality and price.

"For small-business owners, health care is a very personal and very real issue," stated NSBA Chair Chris Holman, CEO of Michigan Business Network.com and President of The Greater Lansing Business Monthly. "Something must be done to address skyrocketing costs—not merely more political posturing."

Please click here for more on NSBA's health care policy.

Since 1937, NSBA has advocated on behalf of America's entrepreneurs. A staunchly nonpartisan organization, NSBA reaches more than 150,000 small businesses nationwide and is proud to be the nation's first small-business advocacy organization. For more information, please visit www.nsba.biz.

SOURCE National Small Business Association