Alaskans have heard many news stories about how legislation in the Senate would gut Medicaid, reduce care for childbirths, and cut support for nursing home care. Those are important issues, but I hope U.S. Sen. Lisa Murkowski and Sen. Dan Sullivan remember many Alaska small business owners like me who rely on the health insurance exchanges for our employees. Our business buys private sector health insurance through the exchanges, and we would be harmed by the BCRA/AHCA legislation that would fundamentally change our health care system.
I started a PR and marketing consulting firm in 2014. I was fortunate to have that opportunity because I was covered under my husband’s insurance, which allowed me to take a risk and strike out on my own. I wouldn’t have been able to pursue this dream without health coverage, and my story illustrates how secure health insurance encourages entrepreneurship. Sadly, not everyone is as lucky as I am: the difficulty in obtaining insurance, especially for families, has prevented a lot of entrepreneurship in the United States.
Before the Affordable Care Act, the individual insurance market was a nightmare for people looking for quality, affordable coverage. But because we were covered, I was able to start my own firm, and we grew very quickly — we’re now celebrating three years in business.
I knew from the start that I wanted to provide insurance for my employees. It was practical — I wanted to hang onto good, qualified employees, especially when turnover can be expensive and delay work. When you’re running a small business, stability matters. But it was also a moral issue — I felt a responsibility to treat my employees well, to offer competitive benefits and quality health care. It’s the right thing to do.
There weren’t a lot of health insurance options when I started my business. I didn’t have the opportunity to pool like larger employers — but I did have the Affordable Care Act. I was able to go to healthcare.gov, register as a small business owner, and find multiple options and levels to insure my employees — and I got a tax credit on top of that. I can say for certain that health insurance exchanges established by the Affordable Care Act have strengthened my business.
My staff have benefitted from our insurance coverage on the exchange. There were many levels of coverage to choose from — they’re not just stuck with a one-size-fits-all option. I’m certain there are things that can improve, but that’s true in any system — change is hard, and comes incrementally. Being able to use the resources the Affordable Care Act provides has been essential to my small business. Losing that would be costly, both as a hard cost and at an administrative level.
I’m a businesswoman, not an expert in health care policy. However, I know that no one should be stuck in a job just to keep their insurance. No responsible business owner would want their employees to worry about their coverage. I’m thankful for the Affordable Care Act and all it’s done for me, my staff, and my business. We need to protect the progress we’ve made and work to improve the law, not repeal it. Legislation like BCRA/AHCA would harm businesses like mine by taking away the private health insurance exchanges that we have used for years.
• Kate Consenstein is the owner of Rising Tide Communications. She resides in Anchorage.
