Health care partnership would help Pike Place Market businesses
08 01 08 - 14:40
By NICK LICATA
GUEST COLUMNIST
Lack of access to quality affordable heath care is limiting the potential of Seattle's small businesses. That problem was brought home to me with real force last month when I was invited to the Pike Place Market for the release of a survey on the health care needs of Market merchants.
The findings in this survey were disturbing. Pike Place Market is an icon of enterprise for Seattle and our city's major tourist attraction. It is a great place to build a small business. But, 39 percent of the business owners and employees surveyed are uninsured -- four times the statewide average.
Lack of health insurance stifles the creativity of a business, making it more difficult to keep good employees and maintain high levels of productivity. Workers without good health care are more likely to leave for jobs with larger companies and also more likely to miss work because of illness.
The survey, released by Market merchants and compiled by the Washington Community Action Network, also showed a strong demand among Market merchants for quality coverage. Small-business owners are wise enough to be leery of so-called bare bones plans that sometimes are cheaper but fail to cover many of the illnesses encountered every day by normal families. More than 85 percent favored building a statewide buying pool with comprehensive coverage choices over a broad selection of cheap but substandard health insurance offerings.
While the survey was limited to merchants in the Market, we must be aware that this same problem is experienced by many small businesses in Seattle. There are more than half a million small businesses in the greater metropolitan area. These businesses generate billions in dollars in payroll for millions of families. We cannot permit a dearth of health care coverage to stifle the true engine of our economy.
When asked what should be done about the problem, Market merchants pointed to the development of a Health Insurance Partnership started by the Legislature. Lawmakers designed the partnership as a buying pool to enable small businesses to buy good health care coverage with some assistance from the state. In particular, premium assistance would be offered to help low-wage small-business workers afford coverage.
This program could not be better targeted to help the Pike Place merchants and other small businesses in our city -- but it needs to be implemented and expanded. The partnership has not yet gotten off the ground and funds for premium assistance need to be appropriated. In addition, self-employed individuals should be allowed to participate in addition to businesses with employees.
Just before the New Year, the Seattle City Council wrote to Gov. Chris Gregoire and legislative leaders, asking them to act quickly to implement the partnership so that our state and city can help overcome the health care crisis facing small businesses. I hope others will join in this plea to our state leaders. With your help, we can give a lift to the economic creativity and quality of life in Seattle.
Nick Licata is the president of the Seattle City Council.