New Hampshire Businesses Weigh In On Health Care Reform

Before he was elected President, candidate Barack Obama promised to fix what ails the nation’s health care system.

As President, he’s working to fulfill that promise.

On Wednesday he said it is paramount that Congress make changes to how health insurance works.

If we do not reform healthcare, your premiums and out of pocket costs will continue to sky rocket. If we don’t act, 14,000 Americans will continue to lose their health insurance every single day. these are the consequences of inaction. These are the stakes of the debate that we’re having right now.

Many business leaders and business owners in New Hampshire say they would welcome changes to the health insurance system.

Laurie Storey Manseau owns a marketing and public relations firm in Concord.

She says the insurance premiums for her small staff have become a heavy burden.

…health care breaks my back every month. It truly does. Every month I have to deal with close to 1600 dollars in a premium payment to Harvard pilgrim. And that’s just not an easy thing to come up with.

Those are familiar words to business owners groaning under the weight of rising health insurance premiums.

But many are keeping an eye on the so called “Public Option”.

The plan is backed by the President and many democrats.

And even some business owners like the idea, including Storey Manseau.

The government would offer an insurance program to people who wanted it and would help provide coverage to people who can’t afford it.

But James Gelfand of the U.S. Chamber of Commerce argues the public option would end up costing businesses more and would undercut private insurers.

We don’t think the government can be a fair competitor. We don’t think that it would use government fiat to its advantage. It would not play fairly. It would put other insurance companies out of business. In the end your only option would be the public option.

Congress is also debating whether the law should mandate employers above a certain size offer employees health insurance.

Those employers that don’t comply would have to pay a penalty.

Attorney Bradford Cook is a senior partner at Sheehan Phinney Bass and Green in Manchester.

He says the mandate doesn’t bother his partners much, but it would be problematic if the mandate crimped what the firm could offer its employees.

As business people we don’t want it to be more expensive, we don’t want it to be more of a straightjacket. We certainly want to be able to have the flexibility of providing coverage for our folks.

Some small business owners in Massachusetts where the state mandates coverage have complained they’ve had to cut costs.

In some cases, that’s meant layoffs and no raises.

Here in New Hampshire, employers have had the flexibility to offer as much or as little insurance as they want.

Julie Vogt owns Integrisys Communications Group, Inc in Greenland.

She says her firm simply can’t afford to pay the full 1300 dollar monthly premium to give her employees family coverage.

Vogt says some of her workers look to alternatives.

I know a lot of our technicians, not a lot of them but some of them can’t afford to insure their children, so they go on NH Healthy Kids. Who’s paying for that? we the taxpayers. And looking at what they make, of course they can’t afford that.

President Obama has said he wants to make insurance more affordable for everyone.

But critics of his plan say it will end up being more bureaucratic and too expensive.

As the debate continues in Washington, business owners and employees wonder if no solution might be more expensive.