Media Release |
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| For Immediate Release | Contact | Phone |
| Friday, April 29, 2009 | Eve Weissman | 732-246-4772 x22 |
| Crystal Snedden | 973-643-8800 |
NJ Small Business Owner Takes Health Care Message to Washington
Bloomfield business owner urges action on health reform before House Ways & Means Committee
** To schedule media interviews with Kelly Conklin, call 732-337-7928 **
Highland Park, NJ — On Wednesday morning, April 29, 2009, Kelly Conklin, owner of Foley-Waite Associates, an architectural woodworking company based in Bloomfield, NJ, testified before the House Ways & Means Committee in Washington, D.C. In a hearing on employer-sponsored health insurance, Conklin testified on his challenges as a small employer and urged Congress to act quickly to pass health reform that works for small businesses.
"We employ 13 people, occupy 12,000 square feet of loft space, and serve some of the most influential people in the world," said Conklin, who started his business with business partner and wife Kit in 1978, has served major commercial clients including Prudential Insurance, Schering Plough, and Merck, and has served high-end residential customers in New York City for the past 15 years. "And, we fork over $6,000 a month in health insurance premiums, close to 20 percent of payroll — one of the largest single expenses in our budget."
Conklin, a member of the New Jersey Main Street Alliance, recounted his frustrations with the current health insurance market. "April is a month I dread, not for taxes — taxes are simple, I call my accountant — but health insurance renewal is a nightmare. The health insurance market has failed to deliver on its promise for small businesses."
Conklin joined a panel of six witnesses, including J. Randall MacDonald from IBM Corporation, Dr. Elise Gould from the Economic Policy Institute, and Denny Dennis from the National Federation of Independent Business. In his testimony, Conklin urged the Committee to level the playing field for small businesses that want to do right by their employees. "When responsible employers offer coverage and others don't, it creates an un-level playing field. We'd be better off if all employers are contributing a reasonable amount, instead of this game of cost-shifting."
Conklin suggested two critical components to make health care work for small businesses: increasing transparency, and restoring competition through the creation of a public health insurance option. "It's time to have the insurance companies come clean in plain English, explain where our premium money goes, and say up front what's covered and what's not," Conklin said. "A well designed public health insurance option would finally give small businesses like mine real bargaining power, provide a guaranteed backup, and introduce greater transparency. Most importantly, by creating genuine competition and restoring vitality to the market dynamic, innovation in the private sector will occur."
"As a cabinet maker, I think about it like this. A toolbox holds a variety of tools, each perfected to perform a specific task. With health care we've tried to do everything with a hammer. The public plan option is a critical tool missing from the toolbox — one that could stem rising costs." According to the Commonwealth Fund, reform with a public option could save employers $231 billion over 2010-2020, and $3 trillion for the nation. Without the public plan, three quarters of those savings are lost.
Conklin's home and business are in the district of Rep. Bill Pascrell (NJ-8), who is a member of the Ways & Means Committee and introduced Conklin in the hearing.
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The New Jersey Main Street Alliance is a statewide coalition of over 300 New Jersey small businesses working to advance health reform that works for small business owners, our employees, and the economy. NJMSA — http://www.njforhealthcare.org/mainstreet.html.
