What Would Health Care Reform Mean for Small Employers and Their Workers?

December 15, 2009 Small employers face a unique set of challenges in providing insurance to their employees. High administrative costs and the limited ability to spread risk result in substantially higher premiums for the same benefits when compared to those available to their larger counterparts. These problems are further exacerbated by the fact that small firm employees typically earn lower wages than those in larger firms. These challenges result in offer rates for the smallest firms that are less than half the rates of large employers and lead to high rates of uninsurance among small firm workers. Both the House . . .