Small Businesses Will Pay Fines Rather Than Buy Health Insurance

Small business owners speaking at a Chamber of Commerce forum July 26 said they will pay fines imposed under the new health reform law rather than purchase health care coverage for their employees.

In addition, Chamber of Commerce Senior Vice President Randel Johnson said that the business organization is looking at legal options for challenging the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (PPACA, Pub. L. No. 111-148).

“We’re going to have to live with it for awhile, and we’re going to have to deal with it,” Johnson said. He and small business owners spoke at a forum in Washington, Behind the Curtain: the Health Care Law’s Impact on Small Business, sponsored by the chamber, the National Federation of Independent Business, and the American Action Network. The Chamber of Commerce strongly opposed the new law.

“If necessary, we’re going to consider legal options,” Johnson, who is in charge of labor, immigration, and employee benefits for the chamber, said. He did not elaborate further. The Department of Health and Human Services did not respond to a request for a comment. Read more.