Op-Ed =>> Industry Opportunities Why Health Care Reform is Just Beginning Document: | Video: | Podcast: | Font Size: Small Medium Large By Dr. Fred McKinney The recently passed health care reform legislation was monumental in both the legislative and political struggle it entailed and in the dramatic changes it brings about in the U.S. health care system. The legislation’s expansion of coverage to 32 million Americans; the regulatory changes that will make pre-existing conditions a relic of a dysfunctional system; the creation of state exchanges that will allow small businesses and individuals to take advantage of pooling risk; the tax credits for small businesses that offer insurance; the penalties on companies and individuals who choose not to purchase affordable insurance policies; and the $1 trillion dollar price tag make this legislation historic as well as contentious. Already fourteen states attorney generals have vowed to file suit to stop the creation of state run exchanges for uninsured businesses and individuals. The Republican Party has made the law the rallying cry for the mid-term elections. And the Tea Party has used the reform as the basis of its vociferous objection to the Administration and an example, in their view, of the unconstitutional interference with individual rights. Yet despite all of that, the reform has passed. In a survey I conducted recently of certified MBEs, (Minority Business Enterprises) found that 61 percent of MBEs offered health insurance and that 63 percent were in favor of the reform. National studies show that 99 percent of companies with more than 500 employees offer health insurance to their employees. Support among large companies is significantly less than the support we found for the reform by MBES. The legislation will impact all businesses, but it will likely have a different impact on MBEs than most large companies. Login or Subscribe to access full content. Tags: A Corporate Communication Gap Becomes The Next Big ESG Messaging Opportunity In Asia Developing Systems And Strategies For Increasing Stem Innovation Levels