ACA a boon for small businesses

By Ron Nelson, Las Vegas

Monday, May 22, 2017 | 2 a.m.

As a small-business owner, I am disappointed by the House’s passage of the American Health Care Act.

The ACA has been crucial to helping small-business owners like me gain and keep access to more comprehensive and affordable health coverage. Under the ACA, rates in the small group market are finally starting to stabilize, and many small businesses have been able to receive tax credits for providing coverage. Additionally, the law has helped many would-be entrepreneurs, especially those with pre-existing conditions, break out and start their own businesses without the fear of being unable to access affordable health coverage. It should come as no surprise, then, that polling from Small Business Majority found nearly 6 in 10 small businesses owners support the ACA, and prefer it to the replacement plan by a 2:1 ratio.

The House’s vote shows many lawmakers are ignoring the fact that the ACA is good for small businesses today as well as helping to create new ones. Pushing forward with a subpar replacement plan is the wrong move for our country, our small-business community and the countless entrepreneurs and employees who have gained coverage under the ACA.