Close, but no cigar

Just five votes. That’s how close small-business owners were to real health-insurance reform last week. Unfortunately, the Senate acted as roadblock yet again to Small-Business Health Plans, crucial legislation that would help make health insurance more accessible and affordable to small-business owners and their employees.

In a sometime-confusing procedural vote, SBHP supporters fell just five votes short of the 60 votes needed to invoke cloture, which basically would have cut off debate and allowed the bill to move forward to a vote. Because of the Senate schedule, it is unlikely, although not impossible, that this legislation will come back to the Senate floor again this year, according to NFIB’s President Todd Stottlemyer. Read more of his comments on last week’s vote on NFIB.com.

Despite defeat this time, small-business owners won’t go away quietly. November’s midterm elections are the perfect chance to send packing those senators who didn’t support the much-needed reform. NFIB is mobilizing members of its Political Action Team. Go here to learn how you can get involved.