Today's National Debt: $9,667,801,662,429.23
Your Share: $31,790.32
Dear Friend,
Many of our small businesses and farms are suffering and the American dream is slipping away from too many families. Our towns and communities depend on our small businesses. As we face an ever-expanding, global marketplace and a sluggish economy at home, this is a problem we must address.
As former owners of a small business, my wife Holly and I know all too well the daily difficulties small businesses face including rising energy prices, increased taxes and skyrocketing health insurance costs. I am committed to ensuring our small businesses and farms have the resources and support they need to succeed and grow.
Now, as Congress returns from its district work period, I urge my colleagues to support a bill that will directly benefit small businesses and farms throughout the United States and the Fourth Congressional District of Arkansas.
Joined by my colleagues on both sides of the aisle, I have co-sponsored the bi-partisan Small Business Health Options Program (SHOP) Act or H.R. 6210. This important legislation is designed to make health insurance more available and affordable for small businesses and their employees throughout our nation.
Specifically, this health insurance legislation will provide small business owners with an annual tax credit of up to $1,000 per employee if they pay 60 percent of their employees’ premiums and a bonus tax credit if they pay more. It will also allow small businesses and the self employed to band together in a statewide or nationwide pool to lower health insurance prices and then make the insurance companies compete for their business – not the other way around. Most importantly, this bill will put into place strict accountability measures that rely on the proven oversight of state insurance commissioners.
The Small Business Health Options Program Act would make health insurance less costly, more predictable and more accessible for the 47.1 million employees of the nation’s 5.8 million small businesses.
I believe we should recognize our country’s entrepreneurs and their employees and provide them with the legislation necessary to help them secure the health insurance they so desperately need. By making health insurance less expensive, we can begin to work toward our ultimate goal of every American family having access to adequate, affordable health insurance.
Sincerely,
Mike Ross
Mike tours the Two Rivers Museum in Ashdown on Aug. 22 and is presented with a copy of "A History of Ashdown" from Judge John Finley. Mike also presented a donation to the museum.
