I am a small business owner who would LOVE to insure my employees. It is simply unaffordable.

I own a small business that currently employs 11 people, ranging from 28-42 years old. At present I do not provide insurance for them, though I would love to, even just on a catastrophic level. Unfortunately I have found out it is unaffordable.

One of my employees recently had an off the job accident. While sewing, she had jammed a needle under her thumbnail. Though she kept it very clean, it clearly had become infected, but she did not go to a doctor because she was afraid of the cost. She kept trying to keep it clean, but it got worse over the course of a few days, and eventually she was in so much pain that she decided that she needed to lance her nail (with the aid of some whiskey as a painkiller/courage bringer).

I had offered to pay for her to go to the doctor, but she felt guilty about that, and eventually was convinced to forgo the self-inflicted home lancing procedure in favor of a subsidized clinic the next day. Turns out she had been infected with mrsa (staff) virus, which can be very dangerous if not treated. The visit ended up costing her about $400, which I'm certain she put on a credit card. In the end all she would accept from me was a paid day off. She knows we are just making it every month, and did not want to contribute anything that might jeopardize her future employment.

My perspective, as a business owner, was that a situation that should have been treatable became an emergency for no reason beyond money. It affected my entire workplace, and ultimately did cost me money and time in dealing with rescheduling to cover her missed shifts. Also, from a compassionate and human standpoint, it was shocking and horrible to watch someone who I employ and care deeply about go through so much unnecessarily.

I immediately contacted my insurance agent to get quotes on health coverage for my work staff. He flat out told me that a business my size could not afford anything beyond catastrophic coverage, and even that will be a stretch. In the end the quote he gave me was roughly $500 per employee, half paid by me and half by the employee. So to insure my staff for catastrophic situations with a high deductible would cost our company roughly $2750/month, a price I can't currently afford without seriously putting at risk the future employment of my workers. My choices: A) Drain our resources and insure them at the peril of long-term future employment, or B) Keep the status quo against my better judgement and compassion to keep them employed long-term and hope for some reform to fix the situation.

I decided to wait out the health care debate to see what happens. I simply can't afford to insure my employees, especially under current economic conditions. I am not making a profit, I am just staying alive and keeping 11 people employed. I truly hope that one day soon my employees will have insurance, and if I could afford to I would buy them the best coverage available. They work hard and they deserve excellent care, but right now it's not affordable for them and it's not affordable for me.

Healthcare should not be a perk, it should be a right. Unfortunately it's a right I can't afford to give my employees. They deserve better.

I believe that there are many small business owners who, like you, would love to provide some sort of health care for employees but can't afford it. One of my arguments to anti-universal care people is that some of the biggest beneficiaries would be businesses.

Insurance just isn't an option. Either stay in business or provide insurance. It would be a huge boon to my business to have my employees able to approach their health in a preventative manner, because right now all they do is get expensive treatment when absolutely must. It's really sad.

they bleat "it costs too much" and then do what they can to prevent relief for small businesses.

They want small businesses gone.

All that's inference, but it wouldn't surprise me. Those raking in money are only concerned with raking in more money. Business HAS changed over the years; any ethics once existed are gone...

Ever wonder why in many areas of Europe small family owned businesses are able to thrive? Hmmm....

You think that small family-run Italian butcher buys insurance for their employees? Hell no! It would take an enormous amount of stress off of my entire workplace if people knew they could go to the doctor or clinic or whathaveyou and not blow their monthly budget. Oy!

It's not that I hate my job, they have been good to me, I'd just like to go back into business for myself. What's holding me back is the $17k a year it would take to replace my health plan, and that's if I could get my wife and daughter's pre existing conditions covered. Coming up with $17k before I could even think about covering business expenses let alone turning a profit is a daunting proposition to say the least :(

If not for my wife's coverage, I would not have the luxury of being a business owner. I am covered very well, which often makes me feel even worse about the situation my employees are in. My employees are amazing, and they deserve a lot better than I can give them. It sucks!

It's an expensive proposition. The company I work for has hundreds of employees in the pool and out family coverage runs just a hair under $17k anually. We're at 70/30, which means the employer pays 70 percent of the premium and I pay 30 percent. I think that works out to around 450 a month or so deducted from my check. It's good insurance, a PPO, not an HMO, but damn, that's a lot of money for a guy making $34k a year. :(

Healthcare would have allowed my employee to go and treat her relatively minor situation with a nurse at an inexpensive clinic. Insurance (or lack of) made her wait until it was absolutely an emergency, causing her infection to be at full force and making treatment exponentially more expensive.

Amazing.

Kucinich with Ed

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_MWDwvjETyo&eurl=http%3A...

Here's to Dennis!

:toast:

Another reason corporations fund these loser-know-nothing hack Dick Armies to invade these town halls and others - Universal Health Care discourages entrepreneurship and puts existing small businesses at risk.

Major corporations . .. HAVE no such problem. Their insurance tab cuts into their profits? SCREW IT. Fire 350 employees, and 10 more each month until our bottom line is saaaaaaved! Their interests aren't with the employee, they're with the major shareholders and board members . . . who are also fellow execs.

These people want to rule, they want the whole mountain and they will shoot ANYONE who dares try to get near it.

...for the corporate greedheads to maintain their monopoly on power and profits. Never, NEVER assume that the "Chamber of Commerce" represents YOU, the small business person.

The corporate greedheads subsidize a lot of propaganda to persuade small business people that the greedheads are "looking after their interests" when they pay off elected representatives to trash regulations, subsidize multinational corporate profits, and offer corporate welfare to the big guys.

On a TRULY level playing field, there is such a thing as "too big," and they know it. So they'll never allow the playing field to be leveled. They'll never support anything that will give you equal access to skilled, talented employees, or enable you to put the advantages of smallness into the marketplace.

If people were assured of health care for themselves and their families, how many of them would walk off their shit-for-pay, soulless, bureaucratic bull***t, toe-the-line, Big Corporate jobs tomorrow morning at 8:00 a.m. and look for work in small companies where their skills and energy are valued for the assets they are? How many would start their own businesses?

You can see why an affordable public option is so terrifying to the greedheads.

polemically,
Bright

Business alliances here are constantly complaining that Portland is anti-business, mostly due to the lack of incentives that are given to business that would like to relocate here. This is a city full of small, independent businesses, and also full of employees who sacrifice career mobility for quality of life.

I know many people here, myself included, who simply cannot stomach the life of a large corporation employee. That's why I own my business. I wanted to control my own destiny. I gave up graphic design for the service industry. Probably not the best financial move, but I'm doing something that I care about rather than helping a large corporation sell more of their product that I care nothing about.

Yes, there is too big, and I think that Portland as a whole embodies that general attitude. Many people here would rather work in a quality environment that values them as individuals, but that comes at a huge cost - no insurance.

I know many people who insure their children but not themselves, simply because they want to spend time raising their children and cannot afford to insure the whole family. It's absolutely insane. I know many families where one parent is employed and the other not (can't afford child care if both work), and it's the exact same story.

Big business cannot compete with quality of life, but they can afford to offer (usually sub-par) insurance. On the other hand, most people I know who have chosen to work for a large employer have been laid off at some point, putting them in the exact same situation as the person who has chosen to opt out of the big business career option.

Ultimately we are all left to fend for ourselves. The days of working a full career at a large business are over. I can't begin to count the number of people I know who are either self-employed or run a small business. It may be stressful and less monetarily fulfilling, but it sure beats waiting to be laid off.

I think big business is on the ropes and they know it. That's why they have to fight this. They understand that most people would choose not to work for them if given the choice. You are exactly right.

Show how small businesses can better compete with the big boys, if they didnt have a bene gap.

I don't really care about competing with the big kids. I just want to stay in business with healthy employees. When an employee avoids health care for financial reasons it always makes my business suffer. I just want stability and to keep employing people with good jobs. I'm in the service industry, so I really don't care about competing with larger operations. I can give people a much more personal and unique experience than a larger company. I just want to survive and so do my employees.

As we outpace our environment especially.

Small medical problems can quickly turn into major and more expensive problems and worse, cause unnecessary human suffering.

From a business perspective, I can only imagine what a huge burden would be lifted if businesses, especially small businesses, didn't have to struggle with health care issues and astronomical costs and instead could put all their efforts into their businesses.

I totally agree. Health care should be a human right. Thank you for posting your story. Your employees are fortunate to have a business owner who cares.

My staff is amazing, and I want to keep them around at all cost. Just not at the detriment of survival as a company.

You're right, it would be a huge burden lifted to have my employees' health care become preventative rather than emergency-based. Any time someone goes out because they didn't go to the doctor sooner it makes my life more difficult. It's just a bad business model if nothing else.

able to keep the doors open - was going to be $1600/month for just 3 of us almost 2 years ago when we looked for quotes.

And that was BCBS - one of those "non-profit" co-ops we keep hearing are going to make everything all better.

That's completely impossible. Luckily my employees get that I'd be first in line to sign them up if we could afford it. They'd rather keep their jobs long-term than take the risk. That doesn't, however, keep me from feeling like I'm failing them somehow. They spend a huge part of their lives keeping the company I created going, and I can't do a damn thing to ensure their well-being. Sucks.

They're always looking out for the little guy, right? Seems like they should be right on board with creating stability and health for the little guy.

Wait, you mean they don't give a shit about the little guy???

here in the first place?
:kick: & R

It arose as a perk to attract employees after WW2, right? I didn't get the whole story from him - it was loud and there were a few drinks involved. ;-)

Do tell, please!

During the economic boom years of the 50s - 60s employers were looking for ways to attract and keep scarce talent while conserving cash for constant expansion. Health care was cheap and premiums could more easily be written off.

Now we have this gigantic parasite sucking the life out of us at the most competitive time in our short history.

BTW, this parasite is also the largest cause of the hyper-inflation of medical costs.

I feel for your employee - and for you, sounds like you're without insurance as well if it's not affordable off what the business is making.

surely you must be making a profit in order to be staying alive. I totally understand that your business may not be able to support both wages and health insurance but unless you are, personally, living off credit, then you must be making a profit.

I am just making ends meet. Business is rough right now. Just trying to keep it all going until the so called "recovery" takes hold. I can support wages right now, and am constantly working to keep it all moving. It's a rough road, but I love it and am committed to keeping my employees employed.

Unless you are financing your business with a zero or negative net, you are making a profit. Whatever you draw as a salary is a profit for you.

That aside, I say good luck to you and your business. It is a madhouse out there and you are fortunate that, not only can you draw a salary, but you can employ people, as well.

The sales pitch started really well - how they're different from other insurance plans because of a group buy-in, etc.

Then the quotes came in. We literally laughed him out of the store.

I don't care how small they are. MRSA can kill you. I had it in a finger, and it took forever to heal. I was lucky that it didn't spread.

5 years later I had to go to the hospital for what turned out to be a problem with a medicine I was taking. I told them I had had MRSA in my finger that long ago. They freaked.

I thought I was going to be put in a bed on top of the hospital. Instead, I had a HUGE sign on my door that warned of impending doom or something. Anybody who came in had to double gown and wear gloves.

This was FIVE effing years after I was treated. I don't know if they think people can still carry the infection and that it remains dormant or what.

I wonder??

workers too, but she can't (and she's a republican, which is kind of funny). Fortunately, he has insurance through the state, which is nice.