Health care
It's getting ugly out there for small business owners that have been struggling to keep on paying high health insurance premiums for themselves and their workers. So ugly, in fact, that more and more are just dropping coverage.
Because of ever-escalating premiums and falling sales, Craig Sumsky, director of Philadelphia-based DJ company Cutting Edge Entertainment, had to put the kibosh on health insurance for his office manager this year.
In response, Sumsky's office manager handed in her two-week notice. She needed a job that could get her benefits, he said.
Sumsky is not alone. One recent poll put out by credit card company Discover uncovered a disturbing trend.
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Sean O'Rourke, owner of a technology consulting firm in New York called Syzygy 3, doesn't yet know which presidential candidate he'll be pulling the lever for this November.
"I'm undecided," he says, even though he considers himself a Republican.
And Rae Hostetler, who owns Zionsville, Ind., -based Hostetler Public Relations, says, "At this point I'm the skeptical voter and I can choose to skip the polls or exercise my vote. I choose the latter. My pick is with caution -- the lesser of two evils."
While you might think John McCain would be the slam-dunk choice for entrepreneurs at this November's presidential election because Republicans are often thought of as pro business, many small business owners don't see things that way.
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Lawmakers have crossed the aisle in Congress to come up with a health care bill that won’t do a lot to alleviate the hell small businesses face when it comes to affording insurance, but at least it’s something.
Last week, House Small Business Committee Chairwoman Nydia M. Velázquez (D-NY) and Rep. Joe Pitts (R-PA) joined forces to introduce a bill called The Small Business CHOICE (Cooperative for Healthcare Options to Improve Coverage for Employees) Act that aims to help make healthcare more affordable for entrepreneurs.
The bill encourages small business cooperatives to pool their buying power and potentially get better rates, and it also provides some tax incentives.
Will the bill be enough?
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There are times in my life when I’m conflicted about an issue.
As a career columnist, I often take the side of the employee, writing about initiatives that can help make workers’ lives better.
But as a small business writer and blogger, I know how mandated programs to give employees more time off or sick leave can end up costing small firms big money.
So here I sit, fighting with myself.
How do we as a society balance doing what’s right for hard-working individuals while ensuring the backbone of the U.S. economy, small business, doesn’t crushed?
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What’s bugging small business owners? Costs, costs, costs -- especially healthcare costs.
This week, I’m attending the National Federation of Independent Business’ National Small-Business Summit and what better topic than what’s bugging entrepreneurs most.
Yesterday the NFIB released its "Small-Business Problems and Priorities" survey, which it conducts every four years, and small business owners have one big problem – the cost of doing business, in particular health insurance costs, energy costs and inflation.
OK, I know this news probably doesn’t take any of you by surprise, but it does not bode well for the economic climate going forward.
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Ed McMahon is facing foreclosure of his home because he fell and broke his neck more than a year ago and has been unable to work.
OK, how many of you small business owners, independent contractors and sole proprietors out there would end up in the same situation if you were unable to work for 18 months?
You would think Johnny Carson’s sidekick would have enough money saved to weather such an economic storm, but he apparently doesn’t.
This could be any of us toiling away out there without a large corporation behind us providing a paycheck or disability while we recuperate.
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| AP |
| Ed McMahon |
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What did you all do during the holiday weekend?
Our last-minute plan was to go to my father-in-laws summerhouse and leave my laptop at home.
The drive is about 90 miles and my husband and I promised each other we wouldn’t go out to eat because money was a bit tight these days. The plan was to ride our bikes and catch up on some reading.
Even going on this mini vacation with the kids was sort of a luxury because of gas prices. But to heck with common sense, I needed a break from my hectic schedule.
Seems like many of you small business owners out there are feeling the way I am. But should we be waiting until the breaking point when we say goodbye to work?
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| Roy Morsch / Corbis file |
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There are lots of small business owners out there that are living life on the edge: They have little to no health insurance.
They figure they're pretty healthy, so they can save money by paying doctors for routine visits out of pocket. But what if they get a serious illness?
Most of you out there figure you'll go to the hospital, get the treatment you need to get nursed back to health and then deal with the bills as they come in. Hospitals, especially nonprofits, have to treat people, right?
Think again.
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| Richard Drew / AP |
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This letter is to inform you that if you don’t do something about the healthcare crisis in this country you might as well be pointing a loaded pistol at the head of small business owners everywhere.
This is my letter to Barack, Hillary and John. It may sounds a bit melodramatic, but it's not to most entrepreneurs.
What if you could send a letter to the person that may end up running the country one day and urge them to help small business owners deal with the growing healthcare crisis?
Would it help?
That’s the tactic a small business advocacy group tried this week and I'm keeping my fingers crossed.
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| Saul Loeb / AFP - Getty Images |
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Let’s say someone asked you to pick the top ten government rules and regulations that get under your skin as a small business owner?
That’s exactly what the U.S. Small Business Administration did.
Last year, the agency solicited comments from the small business community on the rules that cost businesses big bucks, about $1.1 trillion, and last week the dreaded list was released to the press. Now, the hope is, government will get into gear and reform these rules.
Only thing is, the federal agency’s notable initiative may be too little too late.
Hello, did anybody tell these guys President Bush has less than a year left in office?
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