September 25th, 2009

Reports the Philadelphia Inquirer:

After enduring years of rising health-care premiums, Rolf Poeting, who owns a Latrobe glass-etching company, took a step this year he’s not happy about. He stopped offering health insurance that covers the families of his 30 employees.

He knows his workers, who make $25,000 to $40,000 a year, cannot afford coverage on their own. But it seemed unfair that, by providing coverage to spouses who worked at other companies, he was subsidizing owners who do not offer insurance.

“I feel like that needs to be rectified,” he said.

Poeting was one of three business owners who spoke yesterday at a phone news conference announcing the results of a survey of 200 small-business owners in Pennsylvania on health care by the Small Business Majority, an advocacy group focused on changing health care. All were concerned about the unfairness of current rules.

According to the survey, the cost of health coverage was the top concern for the owners, 51 percent of whom were contributing to employee coverage. Of those, 72 percent said they were “really struggling” to afford it. Of those who were not providing coverage, 87 percent said they could not afford it.

Almost three-quarters said changing health care was important for improving the economy, that more people would start businesses if they could buy health insurance despite their health problems, and that providing affordable coverage should be a responsibility shared by individuals, employers, insurers, and the government.

Read more at the Inquirer.