Affiliation Well being Plans Stage the Taking part in Subject » CBIA

The next article first appeared within the Middletown Press. It’s reposted right here with the writer’s permission.

Connecticut lawmakers have quite a few alternatives this 12 months to supply significant, long-term assist for the state’s small companies which, sadly, will be undermined by legislative modifications to tax coverage and office mandates.

Small companies are the center and soul of our economic system and the communities they serve, but many are nonetheless struggling to get well from the pandemic as they wrestle with a collection of challenges.

They’re navigating hovering prices—in a state that’s already among the many 10 costliest states to run a enterprise—and a employee scarcity disaster that’s exhibiting no indicators of easing.

The Basic Meeting is reviewing actual options to these points, together with payments opening the analysis and improvement tax credit score program to small companies, absolutely restoring the pass-through entity tax creditrepealing the gross sales tax on workforce coaching applications, and paying off the state’s federal unemployment mortgage debt.

Reducing Healthcare Prices

One legislative proposal particularly that has the potential to create transformative change is HB 6710.

This invoice is designed to decrease the price of well being protection for small companies and their staff and enhance the standard of that protection.

It does so by leveling the taking part in subject for small companies, offering choices to the identical healthcare plan choices as large firms are afforded and which few small companies can entry right now.

This additionally advantages small companies by enabling them to compete for expertise, particularly on this tight labor market, by providing the identical advantages supplied by bigger firms.

HB 6710 is a sport changer.

By allowing affiliation well being plans, the laws lets eligible enterprise and business organizations and nonprofit teams mixture their members and make the most of the economies of scale by negotiating instantly with insurance coverage firms to design plans that meet their members’ wants.

Bipartisan Help

HB 6170 has extensive assist from each Democratic and Republican lawmakers—a mirrored image of its viability as an actual answer to an issue policymakers have wrestled with for years.

Additionally it is supported by greater than three dozen Connecticut enterprise teams, commerce associations, and nonprofit organizations, together with the Middlesex County Chamber of Commerce.

Such far-reaching and bipartisan assist speaks to the invoice’s substance—each when it comes to affordability and well being plan high quality.

Healthcare prices have continued to extend year-over-year, impacting the enterprise group and, extra importantly, worker entry to reasonably priced medical insurance.

‘Actual Answer’

The shortage of reasonably priced choices is a serious concern for our member firms, with too many pressured to decide on between high-cost plans with restricted advantages or not offering any protection for workers.

HB 6710 is an actual answer. Comparable legal guidelines in Georgia, Ohio, Missouri, Maine, Virginia and Washington already enable small companies these identical revolutionary choices to supply high quality, reasonably priced healthcare for workers.