Many Americans believe that health care should play a big part in the national conversation, with a large number supporting the idea of a single-payer system, including Medicare for All. Others who oppose such a matter often point to the economic costs that might have on businesses.
So, where do small businesses stand on the issue? Most of them, according to a new survey, back the idea themselves.
According to a survey of more than 500 small businesses across the country conducted by the Commonwealth Fund, nearly 3-in-5 of small business owners (58 percent, to be precise) view the idea of expanding Medicare to every American (including their workers) as a favorable direction to take.
That’s because health costs for these small businesses — defined as companies with less than 500 employees on the payroll — are a problem for owners. Seventy-four percent of small business owners say providing insurance for their employees is a problem for them, while 44 percent said it was a major problem.
These small businesses are also supportive of other expansive options that the federal government could take in helping to alleviate their health care costs. Nearly three-quarters of small business owners would be supportive of allowing workers to buy into Medicare or Medicaid, and 70 percent back creating a government-managed public option.
Healthcare costs in America have been soaring for both workers AND their employers over the past 20 years.
Medicare for All is cost-effective for start-ups and small businesses because it takes these excess costs out of the equation. pic.twitter.com/7jkMmxODVf
— Ro Khanna (@RoKhanna) February 10, 2019
Small business owners put near-equal blame on many societal institutions for the rise in health care costs, but when asked who was “very responsible” for the rise in costs, most said it was private factors, putting less blame on the federal government.
Pharmaceutical companies were found to be “very responsible” for rise in costs, for example, by 61 percent of small businesses, while 60 percent said health insurance carriers were “very responsible.” Only 46 percent said the same thing about the federal government.