CRANSTON – Dr. Kathleen Hittner, R.I. Health Insurance Commissioner, and the Health Insurance Advisory Council recently heard from several small-business owners who expressed a desire for bold and innovative actions to address rising health care costs, according to OHIC’s June newsletter.
About two dozen people attended the May 16 meeting, which was held at Blackstone Valley Community Health Center in Pawtucket. OHIC and HIAC were asked to support legislation to seek a waiver from the federal government to allow sole-proprietor businesses to purchase health insurance on the small group market, something that is now disallowed under the Affordable Care Act. Hittner has promised to investigate that waiver option, one which would benefit many members of the Rhode Island Manufacturers Association, according to David Chenevert, RIMA director.
Jacob Brier, CEO of MojoTech, a software-development company, reported in the meeting that health insurance costs comprise 50 percent of company expenses, after salary and payroll taxes. Purchasing small group insurance through HealthSource RI, Brier wants all businesses in the exchange treated as one large group. “It’s bringing hundreds of companies, thousands of lives … So why can’t that be treated like it is one company with 5,000 people? It is still diffusing risk like a single company would.”
Other topics of discussion included offering wellness programs for small companies and more flexibility in selecting pharmacy benefit managers.
Nancy Kirsch is a PBN contributing writer.
