Lamb: Protect Small Business From ‘Obamacare’
Protect small business from ‘Obamacare’
By LT. GOV. TODD LAMB
Small business is the backbone of our state’s economy. According to the Small Business Administration, small businesses account for 97 percent of Oklahoma’s employers. That’s one reason why I take my role as the state’s Small Business Advocate so seriously. Logic shows that the only way to grow a big business is to start with a small one. Unfortunately, too often government seems to find ways to stagnate this growth. The latest example comes from the planned expansion of the Affordable Care Act, commonly referred to as “Obamacare.”
For the past few years, all businesses with more than 100 employees have been subject to the onerous regulations of “Obamacare.” Many Oklahomans experienced, know, or have heard of someone who has had their health insurance altered because the government forced people into their exchanges, and many businesses have avoided this excessive government intervention by either limiting their employee roster to fewer than 100 people or by becoming self-insured. The first option obviously hurts our economy and limits job opportunities for Oklahomans. The second option shrinks the risk pool and causes insurance costs to increase among those unable to self-insure. This is yet another consequence of misguided government action, but a step I don’t blame businesses for taking.
Recently, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services initiated the process to ensnare businesses with 50 to 100 employees in the same way they have captured larger companies. As I have traveled the state, I have heard time and time again that business owners choose to quit growing rather than have to spend their limited resources to comply with “Obamacare” regulations. Fortunately, Second District U.S. Rep. Markwayne Mullin has coauthored House Resolution 1624 to stop this expansion.