Alliance Addresses Health Care Reform Concerns of Small Business-Owners

On December 7th, the Alliance participated in the California Farm Bureau’s Annual Conference by contributing to a panel discussion focused on health care reform measures impacting small-businesses owners and the self employed. Employer mandates, tax increases, quality of care – and access to it – were key topics of this interactive discussion.

“The presentation was highly informative for our members,” commented C. Bryan Little, Chief Operating Officer of the Farm Employers Labor Service. “There’s a lot about PCA [the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act] that is still unknown because the regulators have not yet finished their work. Farmer employers have a lot of issues that have not been resolved, and the Alliance really helped up put that in perspective for our members.”

During the session, titled “The New Health Care Bill: What it Means For You as Employers,” panelists fielded questions from attendees and shared their insights on how the new Congress – coupled with state lawsuits against the federal mandate requiring individuals to purchase health insurance – will impact the future of health care reform.

“Small employers and the self-employed are facing new burdens and challenges as they struggle to comply with health care reform,” said Alliance Legislative Director Dan Faraci. “Events like this are vitally important to disseminate information and help them navigate the legislation. The Alliance is committed to educating our members and the small-business community at large about the impact of health care reform, what they can expect, and how to prepare.”