The National Federation of Independent Business, which says it has 350,000 members with active lobbyists in 50 states, warned politicians and policy makers on Wednesday not to impose new health-benefit obligations on small employers. The group said in a statement of principles that “a health care system built on employer mandates or on pay-or-play taxes is unacceptable.”
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In its statement of principles the federation called for universal health care, with a government safety net to help the neediest obtain coverage. But it opposed proposals to place health care under an umbrella of Medicare-style “single payer” financing. Government safety nets should not be allowed to “crowd out private insurance and care,” the federation said.
Yup, it’s the math challenged folks at the NFIB staking out their territory–hating the current system, fraudulently demanding universal health care and opposed to any solution.
The incredible thing is that a single pool/social insurance system would be incredibly positive for small business—especially if based on progressive taxation. First, the number one impediment to people starting small businesses is job-lock due to fears over losing health insurance. Second, most small businesses don’t make that much money, so a social insurance scheme would only “hurt” the very few very wealthy small business people. Somehow that group manages to politically dominate the discourse at the NFIB—when they’re not shilling for the richest families in America, that is.
My real analysis of the NFIB was done over at Spot-on last year. It’s well worth a read as it spells out the math on why a universal health care system funded by progressive tax would be a godsend for most small businesses. But sadly they just can’t ideologically get their heads around it.
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Just proved your point Matthew. Epitaph for America:
“But We Clung to Our Ideology”
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Hardly. With decades of front-line experience, we know the Dems, Socialists and Commies run everything into a grounded bankruptcy.
When was the last time you saw Bill Clinton in a central-city shooting gallery?
“Yeah, well, if the choice is between them and a bunch of commie-sympathizing Democrat Socialist navel-gazers without any real-world experiences — we’ll take the former.”
Just proved your point Matthew. Epitaph for America:
“But We Clung to Our Ideology”
Being a commie-sympathizing Democrat Socialist navel-gazers with real-world experiences there is far more waste in the present system than in an organized system such as: Group Health, Dept of Defense, or KP. There is a wonderful private public consortium in Eastern Washington that has hospitals and MD clinics working together to administer an EMR to multiple clinics.
Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed citizens can change the world. Indeed, it is the only thing that ever has.
Margaret Mead
US anthropologist & popularizer of anthropology (1901 – 1978)
Universal health may not be ther solution but I wish we could get at least to organized health. Maybe there needs to be tax credits for small business that engage in the project. We need to get our citizens on some kind of primary care system so that we can start to reduce the psychotic cost of American healthcare.
Yeah, well, if the choice is between them and a bunch of commie-sympathizing Democrat Socialist navel-gazers without any real-world experiences — we’ll take the former.
Hope your advertisers and Health 2.0 sponsors start reading THCB. They’d get a real surprise, IMHO.