October 12, 2011

REPRESENTATIVE SANCHEZ NAMED TO WORKING GROUP TO TACKLE HEALTH CARE CHALLENGES FOR SMALL BUSINESSES
Lack of Quality, Affordable Coverage Cited as Obstacle to Job Growth

State Representative Robert Sanchez (D-New Britain) has been named to serve in a working group launched by House Speaker Christopher G. Donovan (D-Meriden) that will recommend changes to existing law and new legislation that will give small business owners health care coverage options.

The Working Group on Small Business Health Care, comprised of small businesses and legislators, will examine obstacles and opportunities for small business owners seeking to purchase health insurance coverage for their employees and their own families.

“This is very exciting news to the small business community,” Sanchez said. “I have always been a strong supporter of entrepreneurs and understand the challenges they face getting their projects off the ground, especially in this tough economic climate. This working group is an ideal setting for getting business leaders, legislators and others to bring forth ideas that will help them obtain affordable health insurance for their employees.”

“As health care costs have grown, small businesses have had to drop and cut coverage or sacrifice job growth,” Speaker Donovan said. “Some can’t attract and retain talented employees because quality health insurance is unaffordable. We need to determine how to make health insurance for small businesses affordable, but also easily comparable, available, accessible, and meaningful.”

The Speaker has charged the working group with reviewing small group insurance regulations, the market’s current offerings, the barriers that small business owners face when attempting to secure quality affordable health coverage, the impact of health insurance access on job growth in this sector, and alternative health insurance models. The group will assemble a set of legislative recommendations on how best to address the health insurance needs of the small business workforce.