Small Business Optimism Dips as Healthcare Costs Soar

The longest government shutdown in U.S. history recently came to an end as Democrats yielded to mounting pressure from constituents, labor unions, small businesses, and the GOP majority.

“The end of the Democrat Shutdown is welcome news for America’s 36 million small businesses,” said House Committee on Small Business Chairman Roger Williams (TX-25). “Each day of gridlock costs Main Street lost access to capital, delayed contracts, and weakened confidence. With the U.S. Small Business Administration lending and federal programs back online, entrepreneurs can again focus on growth, hiring, and rebuilding momentum after weeks of Democrat-inflicted uncertainty across Main Street.”

The National Federation of Independent Businesses (NFIB) reports that this prolonged uncertainty has had a palpable impact on small business optimism. The Small Business Optimism Index for October registered at 98.2, marking a slight decline of 0.6 points from September but remaining above its 52-year average of 98.

The NFIB report highlights, “As optimism dipped in October, the level of uncertainty also decreased, with the Uncertainty Index dropping 12 points from September to 88 — the lowest reading this year, though still historically high. A decline in the number of owners expressing uncertainty about their expansion outlook mainly drove down the Uncertainty Index.”

“Good that the government has reopened,” said Bruce de Torres, Director of Communications for the American Small Business League. “Sad that it does next to nothing for the 99.9% of all businesses that are small businesses, despite its celebrations to the contrary. Small business contracts continue to go to big businesses, with the president and the SBA, and the Senate and House small business committees looking the other way. If small business optimism is high (fluctuating a little month to month), that’s because entrepreneurs are the bravest among us. How would we thrive if the federal government did the main thing it is supposed to do for small businesses, which is to steer 23% of its contracts to small businesses? It says it does, but it doesn’t. All other conversations about what the federal government does for small businesses are distractions.”

Another concern of Main Street is the expected spike in healthcare premiums designed by the Affordable Care Act. Small business owners are bracing for a potential quadruple increase in their personal and their employees’ premiums due to the expiration of pandemic-era tax credits provided by the Biden administration at the end of this year.

Bloomberg reports, “We are going to see a lot of people lose health insurance entirely, leading to reduced employee hours or businesses closing their doors in search of work with employers that offer health insurance.”

As January approaches, Democrats and Republicans will again find themselves negotiating to keep the government open, as the ACA tax credits were not included in the bipartisan continuing resolution that ended the shutdown.

Democrats are advocating for an extension of the taxpayer-funded ACA subsidies to keep premiums artificially low, while President Trump has indicated he will not endorse another bill that benefits insurance companies.

Instead, Republicans are working on a series of solutions to replace the “Unaffordable Care Act,” proposing reforms related to increased competition, transparency, and, according to President Trump, sending money back to the people instead of the “big, fat, rich insurance companies who have been ripping people off. POWER TO THE PEOPLE!” the president posted on social media.

As Main Street prepares for another potential government shutdown at the beginning of next year, coupled with the sticker shock of soaring healthcare premiums, K Street and Washington, DC, politicians are playing games with other people’s money. Small businesses don’t have that luxury.

Small businesses cannot subsidize failure with other people’s money; they either learn from their mistakes or close shop. Obamacare was supposed to lower premiums, but after 15 years, premiums have continued to increase, while insurance companies have made record profits while denying coverage.

It’s past time for politicians to stop subsidizing failure and replace the Obamacare exchanges by empowering the people and small businesses who are the engine of the U.S. economy.

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