House bill would allow small businesses to form statewide, nationwide pools for purchasing insurance

A bipartisan coalition of House members on Tuesday introduced a bill (HR 6210) that would allow small businesses to form statewide or nationwide pools to purchase insurance and provide them with tax credits to lower the cost of coverage, CongressDaily reports.

The measure, co-sponsored by Reps. Ron Kind (D-Wis.) and Phil English (R-Pa.), would provide small-business owners with an annual tax credit of up to $1,000 per employee, or $2,000 per family, if the company contributes more than 60% of insurance premiums. The legislation also would prohibit insurers from raising rates if workers become ill or file more claims and would create a Web site to compare information about various plans.

"Small businesses in the United States are in a crisis today when it comes to finding affordable health insurance," Kind said in a statement. He added, "With rising costs pricing small businesses out of the market, it's no surprise that 60% of Americans without health insurance are from families where the head of the household is self-employed or works in a small business." The bill is supported by the National Federation of Independent Business, the Service Employees International Union and the National Association of Realtors (CongressDaily, 6/11).