Lincoln Proposes Health Care Plan for Small Businesses

Little Rock – In recognition of “Cover the Uninsured Week 2005,” U.S. Senators Blanche Lincoln and Mark Pryor along with Senator Tom Carper of Delaware today said that helping small businesses better afford health insurance for their employees should be a national priority.

The three Democratic Senators held a press conference this afternoon in front of the Little Rock Chamber of Commerce to tout federal legislation introduced by Lincoln and cosponsored by Pryor and Carper to help small businesses with 100 employees or less provide health insurance for their workers. The Senators said that the legislation would give small businesses in Arkansas and nationwide a greater range of affordable health care options for their employees.

“This is the number one issue I hear about from small businesses in Arkansas and it’s something that our working families desperately need help with,” said Sen. Blanche Lincoln (D-Ark.). “I believe addressing the problem of the uninsured should be a national priority, because it’s getting worse and it will have lasting impacts on our economy if left unaddressed. Small businesses have been forced to drop or dramatically reduce health insurance for their employees, even though they desperately want to offer it. While this bill won’t address every health care need in our nation today, it’s a balanced, common-sense approach to help our small businesses– the true backbone of our communities.”

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