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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE - March 2004
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE - March 2004
ASSOCIATED BUILDERS AND CONTRACTORS MEMBER JOINS PRESIDENT BUSH IN SMALL BUSINESS FORUM TO DISCUSS AMERICA'S HEALTH CARE NEEDS
WASHINGTON, D.C. – Bill Fairchild, president of Associated Builders and Contractors (ABC) member firm R.W. Murray Co., Manassas, Va., today joined President George W. Bush and a panel of four other small business owners to discuss the health care needs of small business owners and their employees. Fairchild shared his firm's experience in the health care arena and expressed the need for Congress to pass association health plans (AHP) legislation.
Today's address by President Bush and the small business owners panel discussion was covered live nationally on C-SPAN. The president discussed his administration's accomplishments in health care and his plans to address the nation's health care needs. Bush called on Congress to pass AHP legislation, as he did during his Jan. 20, 2004, State of the Union address.
In his remarks to the president, Fairchild urged passage of association
health plans.
“We used to be able to get our insurance through our association,
Associated Builders and Contractors,” Fairchild said. “We
paid almost $5,000 per year per employee for a very good plan.”
Fairchild went on to note that in 2000, ABC was forced out of the insurance
business due to conflicting state mandates and he found insurance in the
commercial sector. However, he noted that since 2000, his insurance premiums
had gone from around $5,000 per employee to over $10,000 a year per employee
in 2004.
“We had a great plan through ABC, and if we can get that passed again, that will allow my business and the other 23,000 members of our association to pool together and get better coverage at a better price, putting us on a level playing field with big businesses, labor unions and other entities that are able to get coverage nationwide…,” said Fairchild.
A 2003 report by the U.S. Census Bureau showed that the number of Americans without health insurance increased by 5.7 percent in 2002 to 43.6 million. The greatest increase in the percentage of uninsured was among the employed. The Congressional Budget Office has estimated that small businesses obtaining insurance through AHPs will enjoy premium reductions ranging between 9 and 25 percent.
In his remarks to today's audience, Bush said: "Another way to make sure that small businesses can survive and provide care for their employees is through association health plans. These would provide small businesses the same opportunity that big businesses get, and that is the economies of scale, the economies of purchase, the ability to share risk in larger pools, which drives down the cost of health care for small businesses."
ABC is one of the most experienced national associations in providing health care benefits to its member firms, having offered a health benefits plan for its members for more than 45 years. ABC established an association health benefits plan in 1957 and through the years offered traditional health insurance plans, HMOs and PPOs to its members, many of whom were small business owners who would otherwise not be able to afford health insurance coverage for their employees.
In 2000, ABC was forced to discontinue the health insurance portion of its plan when ABC’s insurance carrier terminated coverage because of incompatible and inconsistent state laws, making it too expensive to provide coverage. ABC has testified before Congress regarding the association’s strong support for AHPs, and encourages swift passage of AHP legislation.
Editors Note: Associated Builders and Contractors (ABC) is a national association representing 23,000 merit shop construction and construction related firms in 80 chapters across the United States. For more news and information, visit ABC’s website, www.abc.org
About R. W. Murray Co.
R. W. Murray Co. is a privately-held general contractor whose foundation is built on quality, safety, excellence and ethics. Company success is measured by client satisfaction and the commitment of our employees to always do right. R. W. Murray Co. construction management services include design/build commercial, industrial, educational, and retail facilities, as well as interior renovations. R. W. Murray Co.'s regional office began serving the Washington-Baltimore area in 1987, and became locally owned and operated in 1992. For additional information, visit www.rwmurray.com or call 703-334-2130.