Almost one half of all the uninsured in America work for small businesses or are self employed.  The fact that many cannot get health insurance is a factor both of cost and access.  The refusal of private carriers to insure ‘all comers’ is at the root of the problem.  Anyone should be able to get health insurance as long as they pay the premium.  That is why Real Health Reform believes (see the plan) that individuals should be mandated to have health coverage.  It is simply responsible citizenship.  Asking small businesses to subsidize this is unnecessary and counter to productivity.  Federal legislation is needed to force private insurers to drop all exclusionary tactics, clauses, rules and language so that most of the uninsured can access health insurance . . . jomaxx

Small Business Is Latest Focus in Health Fight

As the number of people without health insurance continues to rise, many states and Congress have begun to focus on one of the biggest causes: the growing number of small business owners and their workers who are unable to afford coverage.

The states are taking a variety of approaches. To help ease the burden of insurance premiums that have roughly doubled since 2000, some, like Arizona, are extending tax credits to small employers that provide medical coverage.

Others, including New Mexico and Montana, are exploring ways to let small businesses band together to amass the purchasing power of big employers. Massachusetts plans to let small businesses benefit from its state-supervised insurance program. And some states, like Colorado, have passed tougher laws governing what insurers can charge small companies . . . see link below for full article

http://www.nytimes.com/2008/07/10/business/smallbusiness/10bizhealth.html?ref=smallbusiness