Small business owners anxious about health law, Chamber survey finds

Small business owners are increasingly concerned about the law's impact, according to the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, while Karen Ignagni of the nation's biggest trade group of insurers says the nation's focus must move to reducing the cost of health care.

The Washington Post: Despite Temporary Reprieve, Business Owners Increasingly Anxious As Health-Care Law Looms
Despite a temporary reprieve from some of the new rules under the health care law, business owners are growing increasing anxious about its looming implementation at the end of the year, according to a pair of recent surveys. Only three out of every 10 small employers say they are prepared to comply with new regulations under the law, while seven in 10 say those regulations have made it more difficult to grow, according to a new survey from the U.S. Chamber of Commerce (Harrison, 7/17).

CT Mirror: Nation's Focus Must Move From Coverage To Cost, Health Insurance Industry Leader Says
Karen Ignagni, the voice for the nation's health insurers, summed up the federal health reform law with a picture of a triangle, divided into three horizontal bands. The law focuses most on expanding access to health care coverage and changing the insurance market, concepts at the base of the triangle. Far less attention was devoted to care quality, and the least -- the top sliver of the triangle -- was paid to cost. But now, as the changes the law mandates roll out, the triangle might as well be flipped on its head. Public policy discussions in the coming years will focus primarily on the cost of health care, she said (Becker, 7/17).