As a small business owner, I have noticed that many larger companies have either laid off employees or have reduced their hours to part time to avoid providing health insurance. This trend impacts us all. My customers often have to wait for a job to be finished because, when I place an order, it now takes longer for me to receive my shipment. Everything is being delayed because companies do not have the number of employees needed. This is bad for the economy.
Moving forward, it is crucial for business owners to have access to a wide variety of health insurance options to offer their employees. Plans with high value and smaller networks are a more cost-effective way for small businesses to offer coverage. We need choices in both network size and price. If options are limited to the higher cost plans only, companies will continue to downsize their staffs. By protecting lower-cost health insurance options, our state regulators will help the economy as companies will be able to hire more people on a full-time basis.
Russ Miller
Salt Lake City