Your Witness

An Update on the Small Business Health Options Program: Is It Working for Small Businesses?

On Thursday, September 18, 2014, at 1:00 P.M., the Committee on Small Business Subcommittee on Health and Technology held a hearing titled, "An Update on the Small Business Health Options Program: Is It Working for Small Businesses?" ​Video from the hearing can be found HERE. 

The purpose of the hearing was to examine the current state of the SHOPs and whether they are working for small businesses.

 


Witnesses: 
  • Ms. Mayra Alvarez, Director State Exchange Group, Center for Consumer Information and Insurance Oversight, Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, Washington, DC
  • Dr. Roger Stark, Health Care Policy Analyst, Washington Policy Center, Seattle, WA
  • Mr. Adam Beck, Assistant Professor of Health Insurance, The American College of Financial Services, Bryn Mawr, PA
  • Mr. Jon Gabel, Senior Fellow, NORC, University of Chicago, Bethesda, MD
     
  • Has anyone looked into the volume of documentation required by the Federal Govt'? We small businesses are required to comply with the same state and national policies required of large businesses!?!?! As a new small business,my company is not multi-departmental, i.e., AR, AP, HR, BizDev, Training, with COO, CFO, etc. I am all those departments. Where is the SBA an GSA in assisting me to accomplish the task I need to compete? I call and I'm pointed to a website, or some other reference because the person on the other end of the phone doesn't know any other means to help. This list goes on, and thanks for this opportunity. Jim S. (Stafford , VA) Apex Data Systems, Inc
  • When 42,000 factories in America closed this past decade and American jobs went outside the U.S. so that Corporate profits could skyrocket, the jobless can no longer afford the services of many small business owners. How is the small business owner to compete with these corporations when the U.S. government doesn't protect small businesses and our representatives answer only to these corporations and their large financial contributions for office election? Mark C. (Troy, VA) Art Glass Windows
  • Response to Jim S. in Stafford, VA: I can totally feel your pain, Jim. Not only have I looked into it, but I actually went through the painful process of registering in countless state and Federal databases such as CCR, ORCA, Vetbiz.com (VIP pages), and GSA. I am also my companies' CFO, CEO, VP, President, accountant, sales, and technician. I started the process of getting registered and certified by Federal and State governments as a veteran owned small business (VOSB) in October 2010 and finished around April 2011. I'm sure that you don't have the time or manpower to create a full time position to help you, so the best advice I can give is that you read and research on the web all you can about each database / registration before you sink your resources into something that is not going to add anything to your company's sales report. I officially opened my business as an LLC in May of 2011, and have successfully earned the business of the Department of Veteran Affairs and the Army Corps of Engineers! Keep fighting the good fight! Good Luck! Josh M. (Covington, LA) Veteran Windshield Repair L.L.C.
  • I would like to ask why the Small Business Administration procedures allow them to eliminate most small business from competition for most o federal construction work, especially the most desirable work, in favor of awarding it without competition to so-called disadvantaged businesses, with dubious credentials, under the 8a program. Don P. (Philadelphia, MS) Perry Construction Company

Submit a question for one of the witnesses above
(Dr. Smith, could you explain...)