Small Business Advocate Statement on House Health Care Vote

WASHINGTON, March 22 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Karen Kerrigan, President & CEO, Small Business & Entrepreneurship Council (SBE Council) issued the following statement regarding passage of the health care bill.

"The health care bill that President Obama will sign into law is not one that will help small businesses.  Supporters of the bill, including the President himself, erroneously claim that small businesses will be helped by the legislation.  Such statements are pure fantasy.

"The legislation will burden small business owners with crushing taxes and costs. It will not lower the cost of health coverage.  It will kill jobs.  It imposes a new mandate on the self-employed to purchase government-approved coverage whether they can afford to or not.  Alongside its costly employer mandates and new regulatory burdens, it is fiscally irresponsible.  Small business owners got tiny scraps from this legislation, which in no way make up for the crushing taxes and burdens they will face if the bill is fully implemented.

"Small business owners will be looking for political leadership and opportunities to rescind the legislation's harmful measures.  We look forward to working with our small business allies in efforts to reverse this massive legislative mistake while moving forward with the common sense reforms that entrepreneurs have long advocated."

SBE Council is an 80,000-member nonpartisan advocacy organization dedicated to protecting small business and promoting entrepreneurship. For more information, please visit: www.sbecouncil.org.

SOURCE Small Business & Entrepreneurship Council