Crain's New York Business: Small businesses support statewide pool

Crain’s Health Plus, 6/6/08

A new survey of New York small business owners says only 43% offered health coverage to employees, with 52% of those surveyed citing cost as the reason they didn’t provide the benefit. Among those that provided insurance, 40% paid more than $400 per employee each month.

The survey of 409 small businesses—more than half of them with revenue under $1 million—was conducted by Small Business Majority in partnership with BALCONY, AARP and the American Cancer Society. It was meant to help guide the state’s Partnership for Coverage effort.

Significantly, only 58% of the respondents were aware of the Healthy New York insurance program, designed to help small businesses provide insurance. Among businesses that didn’t offer coverage, 40% were unaware of Healthy New York. Slightly more than half of the respondents supported allowing individuals to buy coverage on a sliding scale from Family Health Plus, and allowing businesses to buy into FHP by paying the majority of employees’ premiums.

Some 41% opposed guaranteeing health coverage by enrolling all New Yorkers in a state-run public insurance plan. But most small business owners supported a statewide pool that could bargain down costs and provide affordable coverage to workers after their employers paid a fee to the pool. The survey is at http://smallbusinessmajority.org

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