Many Small Business Owners are Going Without Health Insurance
A Home Business Article Contributed by Elizabeth Fox-Wise
Health Insurance is Considered a Luxury by Many Small Business Owners.
Health Care and Health Insurance Costs is a national problem of epidemic proportion, with small business owners, and their employees, being one of the hardest hit.
The National figures of the uninsured Americans is rising at an alarming rate. One population of people, really feeling the hit, are small business owners and employees who work for small business.
The rising costs of Health Care and Pharmaceuticals in America, have led to ever increasing costs of health insurance plans and worse coverage under those plans. Self employed individuals, and small business owners are finding, in record numbers, they just can not afford the premiums for health insurance plans.
Small Business Owners Who Do Get Health Insurance Typically Get Minimal Coverage Plans
Those self employed individuals who do carry a health insurance plan, usually can only afford to carry a small plan with minimal coverage. In most cases this means high deductibles and out of pocket expenses and well as very limited coverage that is only of help during major health problems where hospitalization and/or surgery are involved.
Many small business owners who hire employees had to discontinue offering health insurance as a benefit for their employees. Other small business owners report switching to all part time employees so they can hire them without benefits, and still others say that they had to pass on such a large portion of the premium to the employee, that many of their employees were forced to discontinue the health insurance since it was taking too much of their paycheck to keep it.
While everyone is aware of the problem with health costs in America, no one seems to know how to stop the out of control, spiraling costs. In the meantime, there is one way that small business can find better prices on health insurance.
The Small Business Association, and Other Business Associations, Can Help with More Affordable Health Insurance.
The Small Business Association, affiliated with the US Government, exists to assist small business owners with many aspects of running a business. Better rates on Health Insurance is just one thing they can do for the small business owner.
Other Business Associations, either industry related or otherwise, can also be a means of obtaining better health insurance rates for small business.
A business association is a group of business owners. Through their membership numbers, they have more "buying power" than an individual does alone. Large business gets better rates on health insurance plans than does small business, simply because large business has the numbers required to give them "buying power". The more insurance policies you are purchasing, the more attractive your account is to the insurance company, and the better rates they will give you on each policy.
A business association membership will allow a small business owner to have the buying power required to purchase more affordable health insurance.
Even through an association membership; however, many small business owners still find the health insurance plans to high for their budget.
