The Florida Chamber advocates affordable, quality health care. Healthy employees are productive employees. Nearly 88 percent of Florida Chamber members offer health benefits even though many of our member companies are not required by law as small businesses to do so. As the cost of coverage is driven up, small employers will have no choice beyond cancellation of group health insurance benefits. That is not prudent public policy.
Higher costs hurt business and further strain employee-employer relationships.
The bill would have meant higher costs and more uninsured Americans. An analysis of the bill estimates health plan costs could increase as much as five percent. On top of steep medical inflation, the overall increase to employers would be nearly 14 percent. For every one-percent increase in health plan costs, about 300,000 Americans lose their coverage. The Florida Chamber opposes opening up health maintenance organizations to further legal liability.