This is a cross-post from the Main Street Alliance, a NWFCO-sponsored program that works with small business owners to bring their voices into important policy debates.
Today, the Main Street Alliance joined Small Business Majority in filing a friend of the court brief in U.S. district court in Virginia. The brief registers small business opposition to the lawsuit filed by the state Attorney General in Virginia attempting to repeal key provisions of the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act. Virginia MSA leader Tammy Rostov joined SBM CEO John Arensmeyer and attorney Joseph Sandler on a press call to discuss the brief.
Click here to listen to audio from the call
[podcast]http://nwfco.westhostsite.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/06/SBM-MSA-VA-amicus-brief-press-call.mp3[/podcast]
Click here to read a copy of the brief
In its statement of interest in the case, the Main Street Alliance wrote:
“The Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (“PPACA”) takes critical steps to make health care work better for small businesses, including: ending insurance discrimination, maximizing bargaining power by allowing small businesses to band together to shop for coverage, cutting the ‘hidden tax’ associated with uncompensated care, making coverage more affordable with tax credits and premium subsidies, and containing rising health costs. A mechanism to ensure that everyone has health coverage and everyone contributes their fair share toward costs is essential to realizing these improvements. Since the elements of the reform package are closely intertwined, where the effectiveness of each is dependent on proper execution of others, the success of health reform overall in ensuring access to quality, affordable health care for small businesses hinges on full implementation of PPACA’s comprehensive package of reforms.”