Small businesses' changing views on health reform

Our national sample of 750 randomly chosen firms with fewer than 50 employees reveals surprising findings about the traditional views of small business on health care reform. A substantial segment of the small business community is sympathetic to health care reform, including such controversial measures as mandating that all employers contribute to the coverage of their workers, limits on health care spending, and altering the tax treatment of employer contributions for health insurance. Without premium savings, fewer than half of small businesses support the concept of health insurance purchasing cooperatives. With premium savings, a majority support it.