Without healthcare reform, the annual cost of health benefits to small business in 2018 will be $339 billion--more than double the cost in 2009.
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Small businesses want reform now
Two-thirds or more of small business owners we polled in 17 states agree that healthcare reform is needed now to get the US economy back on track.

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• A critical milestone was reached Dec. 24 when the Senate approved the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act. Small Business Majority praised the vote and urged Congress to pass a final bill that provides small businesses with the support they need to help reinvigorate the economy.
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• A new analysis released Dec. 16 by the Urban Institute and the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation discusses the differences between the House and Senate healthcare reform bills as they relate to small businesses, and the provisions that should make coverage more affordable for small business owners and their employees.
  
  
• More than 130 small business owners from 24 states traveled to Washington, DC, on Nov. 3 to meet with top administration officials and their members of Congress about the need for healthcare reform. They were briefed by Kathleen Sebelius, Secretary of Health and Human Services, and participated in a press conference on Capitol Hill with Senate leaders. Small Business Majority was one of several organizations that cosponsored the event.
  
  
• CEO John Arensmeyer was one of eight speakers invited to address the House Democratic Steering and Policy Committee's Sept. 15 forum on the urgent need for health insurance reform. He provided the small business perspective about the important reform provisions already approved by three House committees, including cost containment, insurance rule changes and a new exchange. (PDF)
  
  

• National Policy Director Terry Gardiner joined Senators Landrieu, Stabenow and Lincoln at a press conference held on Dec. 9 to unveil a package of amendments to the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act that will benefit small businesses and the self-employed. Mike Brey, a Maryland small business owner, also participated in the event.
  
  
• On Dec. 3, HHS Secretary Kathleen Sebelius released a fact sheet on the benefits for small businesses of healthcare reform, including details of the new CBO analysis of reform legislation.
  
  
• Small businesses in New York state will suffer financially if the healthcare system is not reformed, but measures being considered by Congress could help, according to a new analysis released by the New York State Health Foundation and Small Business Majority on Nov. 5. Four different types of reform plans were analyzed, using a model developed by MIT economist Jonathan Gruber.
  
  
• John Arensmeyer was one of the expert witnesses at an Oct. 20 hearing of the Senate Committee on Small Business and Entrepreneurship entitled “Reform Done Right: Sensible Health Care Solutions for America’s Small Businesses.” Also testifying before the committee were representatives from the US Small Business Administration and Department of Treasury, among others.
  
  
• Scientific surveys we conducted of small business owners in Pennsylvania, Virginia, Arkansas, North Carolina, North Dakota, California, Alaska, Iowa, Louisiana, Maine, Missouri, Nebraska, New Hampshire, New Mexico, Ohio, Utah and Wisconsin reveal their attitudes toward the current healthcare system and opinions on healthcare reform. Full reports and summaries are available on our research page.