Stop Four: The Town Hall in Salt Lake City
Posted by Campaign Team on September 15, 2008
We have been on the road now for almost two months meeting with Americans from all walks of life. We have been engaged in some very thought-provoking discussions about health care reform and how we can work together to make it happen. It is enlightening and rewarding to hear directly from a diverse group of Americans who have very different backgrounds and experiences, but share a concern about the future of health care in America.
The most compelling part of these meetings is the ideas and comments. Each town hall raises different issues but all with one goal in mind: health care reform. And not only are they eager, they have a great perspective on these issues.
Our town hall in Salt Lake City was co-hosted by the Salt Lake Chamber of Commerce and included many small business owners. These entrepreneurs spoke passionately about the challenges their businesses face in providing affordable coverage to their employees. Our wide-ranging conversation focused on many key areas that are facing small business owners in Utah and across the entire country, including:
- Affordability of health care for small businesses
- Transparency
- The rising cost of medical care
- The need for affordable risk pools
- Ability of small businesses to participate in networks
- Administrative simplification
- Consumer responsibilities
As we talked about all of these issues, we also focused on what specific ideas our industry has for reform and what we could do to build out our proposals to meet the urgent needs of small businesses. One thing is clear: no health care reform plan is complete if it does not address the need for small businesses to have access to a choice of affordable coverage options. That's a principle that should unite everyone in this debate.
Our listening tour continues. Stay tuned for more from the campaign.
