Friday, September 24, 2010

Bipartisan Poll Highlights Small Business Concerns Regarding Health Care Law

I thought that you might be interested in a new health care small business poll. This poll goes right along with what I am hearing from our clients.

Larry Kopsa CPA

(The FINANCIAL) -- FinChannel.com reports, "Six months after enactment of the new health reform law, the U.S. Chamber of Commerce has released a national bipartisan poll of 590 small business leaders." The survey finds nearly 80% of small business leaders "expect their costs to increase as a result of the new law, and a majority say they will be less likely to hire new employees and more likely to reduce current health care benefits."

The survey also finds that "regardless of whether the business is 20 employees or 200 employees, at least 75% of small business leaders across all sizes expected their costs to rise as a direct result of the legislation" -- and that "60% of small business leaders say that as a result of the new health care law, they are more likely to consider reducing healthcare benefits to their employees."

The article also reports that "owners of small businesses are deeply unsettled about the present and concerned about the future. Fully 56% of actual small business owners (with 5 to 200 employees) are 'somewhat' or 'very uncertain' about 'making long-term business decisions and future business investments.'" and almost half "are somewhat/very uncertain that they will still exist five years from now."

http://www.finchannel.com/Main_News/Business/71441_U.S._Chamber%3A_Bipartisan_Poll_Highlighting_Small_Business_Leaders%E2%80%99_Concerns_with_Health_Care_Law/