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Biz owner: 'Get everybody insured'
Stethoscope and chart
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TEXT OF STORY
Steve Chiotakis: All week, as part of our series "The Cure," we've been hearing from different groups about what's at stake for them in the health care debate. Today, we check in with a small business owner.
But before we hear from him, here's something to keep in mind: small businesses typically pay more in premiums than big companies. And if one employee is sick or old, that could raise the price of insurance for everyone.
Here's the story of one small-business owner in Columbia, Md., who's struggling to provide benefits -- without breaking the bank.
Brian England: My name is Brian England, I've been in business for 31 years. The name of the company is British American Auto Care and we have 18 employees.
I've always felt it's the right thing to do to provide health insurance. I mean, the health of your workers, they're the ones who provide you the income. Last year, what I did was start one of these, what do they call them, health savings accounts. What that meant was suddenly people had a $1,500 deductible for the HMO and a $4,000 deductible on the PPO.
The insurance agent called me up and said, "Brian, but you're lucky." And I said "Well, why am I lucky?" And he said, "Well, if Jeanette hadn't left" -- and she was 60 years old -- "your rates would have gone up an additional 20 percent." And suddenly the penny dropped here and I thought, my goodness, that is a very sad commentary, because when we go out there looking for insurance and we're judged on the average age, I'll have that in the back of my mind and I'm more likely to employ a younger person.
We should not be put in that position, and I think dismantling the whole system is a good idea, I suppose, and I'd love to be out of this whole insurance thing. But I think taking away the employer side of it, I think it'd be too disruptive. I think, you know, we've got to try and make it better.
First of all, everybody's got to provide health care, there should be a personal responsibility for people, say, that are self-employed. You can't have a situation where my business contributes and the business down the road doesn't. Get everybody insured, get in preventive care for everybody, and see how it works out.
Because we don't know how it's going to work out. I do know one thing, though: if we don't do anything, it's going to be a disaster.
Chiotakis: Brian England is the owner of British American Auto Care in Columbia, Md. Part of our series "The Cure," on the health care debate in America. The segment was produced by Mitchell Hartman.
I'm a physician. I have difficulty understanding why almost all business owners oppose universal health care when the current system is so expensive and inefficient. Most would rather pay $10 in premiums than $1 in "taxes", even if the taxes would buy them better health care. When presented with actual overhead and cost data showing Medicare and the VA are much more efficient than private insurers, they simply don't believe it.
I have noticed that business people are repelled by the idea that their hard-earned tax dollars might go to help someone they consider lazy and undeserving. They are disgusted by actions I consider altruism, the desire to help others who are suffering and dying. Of course, they, and indeed most physicians as well, never actually look people in the eye and refuse to take care of them. Receptionists and nurses have to do the dirty work for them. They just set things up so the patient gets a huge bill and is told he'll have to pay even more if he comes in for another visit.
When discussing this issue with anyone, the first question almost has to be "Is essential health care a privilege, or a right?" The rest of what they say can usually be understood in light of how they answer.
quote: ...because when we go out there looking for insurance and we're judged on the average age, I'll have that in the back of my mind and I'm more likely to employ a younger person... :quote
Rising health insurance costs because *one* employee is aged.
People absolutely have no clue about how much employer sponsored health insurance is costing them in stagnant wages, rising premiums and if they are older, their job security.
We can't afford health insurance on our own. It's getting to the point were we can't afford employer sponsored insurance.
America has the finest health care in the world (if you can afford it) and the worst health record in the world.
Unfortunately there's too much money in Washington buying politicians. How much coverage for how many people could that money buy instead?
A good example of why older workers may not be hired or let go from their existing job, "...because when we go out there looking for insurance and we're judged on the average age, I'll have that in the back of my mind and I'm more likely to employ a younger person".
Rising insurance costs = no growth in wages. Rising insurance costs just because one employee is aged.
People absolutely have no clue how much their employer sponsored health insurance is costing them in wages, raises and premiums. And if they hate their job, but are scared to move-on because of losing their health insurance, it's costing them their mental well-being (and costing their employer in lost productivity).
