Majority of Illinois Small Business Owners Want Healthcare Law Upheld; Less than A Quarter Want it Overturned

June 14, 2012: A majority (63 percent) of small business owners in Illinois want the healthcare reform law upheld, either as is or with only minor changes, while 22 percent want the Supreme Court to overturn it, according to opinion polling released today by Small Business Majority. However, once small business owners in Illinois learn more about the law, their support for keeping it intact, either as is or with minor changes, rises to 68 percent, while opposition falls to 14 percent.

The Supreme Court is expected to hand down its decision any day in the case against the healthcare reform law, filed by the National Federation of Independent Business (NFIB) and state attorneys general.

Contrary to popular belief, small business owners in Illinois do not want the high court to throw out the Affordable Care Act, said John Arensmeyer, Founder & CEO of Small Business Majority. They see this law as helping everyone have coverage and bringing down healthcare costs, something that has been one of their top concerns for years. We hope Supreme Court justices understand how important this law is to small businesses who need relief from high healthcare costs.

Key provisions of the law also have strong small business support, including one of the most crucial components for small businesses, the health insurance exchanges. The Affordable Care Act calls for exchanges, online marketplaces where small businesses can pool their buying power when purchasing coverage, to be up and running in every state by 2014. Seventy-three percent of owners in Illinois say they would use their state exchange or consider using it to provide their employees with health benefits. The majority of entrepreneurs find possible features of the exchange very appealing, including employee choice (83 percent), the exchange educating employees about plans (80 percent) and the exchange providing plans that offer prevention and wellness programs (86 percent). Additionally, the vast majority (70 percent) support Illinois applying for federal funds to set one up.

Everything I hear in the news is that small businesses want this law overturned. That's not true for me, and I assume it isn't true for the vast majority of my fellow entrepreneurs. Provisions in the law such as the health insurance exchanges and the ban on preexisting conditions are too good to lose, said Mike McHugh, owner of Harvest Outdoor in Northbrook, Il. If insurers can deny coverage based on a preexisting condition, we'll continue to lose good entrepreneurs who could grow our economy by striking out on their own but can't because they need to stay at a large company for the benefits. I sincerely hope our Supreme Court justices listen to what real small businesses are saying about this law and uphold it. We need it.

Other key findings from the poll:

• 61 percent of small businesses who support upholding the law believe it should be kept because we need to make sure everyone has health coverage; 35 percent say it's because it will bring down the cost of health insurance
• 68 percent support the medical loss ratio requirement, where insurers are required to spend at least 80 percent of premiums on healthcare claims and quality improvement efforts
• 69 percent support rate review, where state regulators are allowed to review and approve or reject insurers increases they deem excessive
• 86 percent support prohibiting insurers from denying coverage based on preexisting conditions
• 77 percent support preventing insurance companies from basing insurance rates on health status; 77 percent also support preventing insurers from charging women higher rates than men
• 71 percent favor allowing young people up to age 26 to stay on their parents' plans
• 61 percent of small business owners provide insurance to at least some of their employees, but of those who don't offer it, 59 percent say it's because they can't afford it
• Of small businesses who do offer benefits, respondents said the two most compelling reasons to offer health insurance were because they felt they had a responsibility to offer it (51 percent) and because it helps employees stay healthy and productive (41 percent)
• A strong majority of all small businesses (64 percent) said they'd be more likely to offer insurance if they qualified for a tax credit and 73 percent said they'd be more likely to purchase insurance through an exchange if they could receive a tax credit

To read the full report go online to http://www.smallbusinessmajority.org/small-business-research/healthcare/small-business-owners-views-on-aca.php

During a teleconference call on Tuesday, June 19 at 11am EDT, Illinois small business leaders will announce: 1) the formation of the Illinois Small Business Health Care Consortium,‰ a group of small businesses embracing key elements of the Affordable Care Act and the need for Illinois to move forward in implementing the law; 2) a call on Gov. Pat Quinn to take action in establishing an insurance exchange regardless of the pending Supreme Court decision; and 3) details on small business owners' opinions on the Affordable Care Act. For more information, contact Jim Duffett at (217) 352-5600 or [email protected].

To schedule an interview about today's poll release with John Arensmeyer or a small business owner in your area, call or email Erin Musgrave at (831) 477-0453 or [email protected].