Senator Warner joined four of his colleagues today in a series of Senate floor speeches on how health reform will help small businesses.
Small business owners, he said, currently lack the bargaining power that large firms enjoy -- which helps explain why small businesses often pay as much as 18 percent more for the same health insurance coverage provided to larger companies.
"The only people who pay retail -- who pay full price for their health care benefits in America today -- are small businesses and those who purchase health care on the individual-based market. There is no group that will benefit more from, or have more to gain from, more meaningful health care reform than small businesses."
Senator Warner joined his freshman colleagues on the Senate floor today to discuss ways to improve the way health care is delivered. It is the sixth time the freshmen have organized to speak-out on the need to adopt meaningful, responsible health reform that cuts costs and reduces the federal deficit.
Senator Warner spoke on the floor today to promote his bill creating a strong, independent council to regulate institutions from becoming "too big to fail," or so complex that its failure might undermine the financial system.
On Sunday, the Richmond Times-Dispatch published an op-ed written by Senator Warner discussing his proposal to increase access to credit by small businesses by pooling unspent funds in the TARP program with loan funds from local and community banks.
Senator Warner joined his colleagues on the Senate Banking Committee today to discuss Chairman Chris Dodd's proposed financial reform legislation, which includes several of Senator Warner's reform ideas, including the creation of a systemic risk council and a single federal banking regulator.
Yesterday, the Senate passed S.1407, the military construction and Veterans Administration appropriations bill, which included two amendments submitted by Senator Warner:
During a small business conference hosted by the Treasury Department and the U.S. Small Business Administration today, Senator Warner urged the administration, Congress, and banks to work quickly to boost lending to small businesses still facing very challenging credit conditions.