National Association of Realtors
January 10, 2007
Small business employers and the self-employed, including real estate firms and agents, are facing a growing challenge in accessing and providing affordable health insurance, Pat Vredevoogd Combs, president of the National Association of Realtors, told a congressional panel today (U.S. Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pension Committee – Senator Edward Kennedy (D-Mass.), chairman and Senator Michael Enzi (R-Wyo.), ranking member).
“As we sit here, 28 percent of the nation’s 1.3 million Realtors do not have any health insurance. This is nearly double the percentage of uninsured members in 1996. If we add family members to the total, the final estimate for the Realtor family is close to 886,000 individuals,” stated Combs. “We are ready to work with you to fix an insurance delivery system that is not meeting the needs of working Americans,” she pledged.
Making health care insurance available and affordable for Realtors and for all Americans employed by small businesses is a top priority of NAR. “We believe it is important to find a solution to the health insurance crisis that has plagued small businesses. We don’t have all the answers on how to do it, but we do know it must be done,” said Combs.
http://www.realtor.org/press_room/news_releases/2007/realtors_other_small_business_people.html
Comment:
By Don McCanne, MD
How to do it? Sen. Kennedy supports Medicare for all, while Sen. Enzi supports offering lowest-common-denominator, stripped-down coverage through association health plans. One would provide everyone with affordable health care, and the other would provide the right to purchase affordable health insurance that leaves health care unaffordable.
Which do the Realtors really want?