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Janel Knight Trulear
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STATEMENT: Small Businesses Need Lawmakers To Lower Healthcare Costs Rather Than Try To Cut Key Programs

Small Business for America’s Future Co-Chair Dr. Erika Gonzalez, CEO, President, & Co-Founder of South Texas Allergy and Asthma Medical Professionals (STAAMP) and STAAMP Clinical Research and Chair, San Antonio Hispanic Chamber of Commerce reacts to President Biden’s visit to Virginia Beach. 

Feb. 28, 2023– The high cost of healthcare has long been a barrier for small business owners, and lawmakers must find ways to help rather than trying to cut programs that ease the pain of healthcare prices. I was pleased to see President Biden commit to keeping costs low today and urge Congress to heed his call.

We have made progress with legislation like the Inflation Reduction Act that helps rein in healthcare costs by giving Medicare the power to negotiate the price of expensive medication and establishing a $35 cap on a month’s supply of insulin. Yet, some legislators in Congress are advocating for proposals that would have the opposite effect—like repealing the Affordable Care Act (ACA) and making deep cuts to healthcare programs as part of debt limit discussions—causing people to lose coverage and leading to higher healthcare prices. 

There are several major problems with this approach. First, repealing the ACA would cause millions of people to lose coverage or pay exorbitant healthcare costs, and would destabilize the insurance market. Second, we should raise the debt limit—allowing the country to pay debts it has already incurred—without incident so we don’t tank the fragile economy. Finally, making these cuts would take us backward on controlling healthcare prices—a move large corporations may welcome but certainly not one that will help Main Street mom and pops. 

Ninety-five percent of small business owners have seen the cost of health insurance increase over the last four years with more than half estimating their yearly increase is 10% or more. As a result, nearly half have increased the prices of their goods or services to offset the expense, 38% have delayed growth opportunities, and 28% have held off on hiring new employees.

Small business entrepreneurship is booming coming out of the pandemic, particularly among business owners of color. We should be doing all we can to empower and support the success of these entrepreneurs, not weighing them down with the burden of high healthcare costs and toying with the debt ceiling. Both of these actions would directly impact the future of not just our small business owners, but the economy as a whole.

To request an interview with Small Business for America’s Future Co-Chair Erika Gonzalez contact Janel Knight Trulear at 617-875-6581 or janel@emccommunications.com.

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About Small Business for America’s Future
Small Business for America’s Future is a national coalition of small business owners and leaders working to provide small businesses a voice at every level of government. We’re committed to ensuring policymakers prioritize the nation’s 30 million small businesses to create an economy that works for them, their workers and their communities. Visit www.smallbusinessforamericasfuture.org. Follow us on Twitter and Facebook. #SmallBizAF.