[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 151 (2005), Part 13]
[House]
[Page 17529]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                   SMALL BUSINESS HEALTH FAIRNESS ACT

  (Mrs. KELLY asked and was given permission to address the House for 1 
minute and to revise and extend her remarks.)
  Mrs. KELLY. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to urge my colleagues to 
support the Small Business Health Fairness Act. We will vote on it 
later today.
  We need to increase access and lower the cost of health insurance for 
small business owners, their employees, and their families.
  I represent New York's Hudson Valley where small business owners and 
self-employed workers tell me time and time again that the toughest 
challenge they face is finding affordable health care coverage.
  Seven out of 10 small businesses do not offer health insurance 
because they cannot afford the overwhelming costs on their own in the 
private market.
  The Small Business Fairness Act would provide them with the lower 
costs they need by giving then the same group health insurance 
purchasing power already being enjoyed by unions and large 
corporations.
  Small businesses on Main Street in towns like Warwick, Goshen, 
Wappinger, or Mount Kisco deserve the same health insurance advantages 
that the large firms have on Wall Street. Let us give our small 
businesses the option by passing this bill.
  Studies show it will give 8 million currently uninsured small 
business workers the affordable access to health insurance they need. 
Please support America's small businesses and join me in voting for the 
Small Business Health Fairness Act.

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