Bay Area Women Business Owners Participate in National Summit on Health Care Reform

Bay Area Women Business Owners Participate in National Summit on Health Care Reform
NWBC Summit Adds Women's Business Perspective to National Dialogue on Health Care and Business Growth

Washington, DC - Ann Blackburn, owner of Lafayette-based Blackburn Advisory Services; Barbara Kasoff, co-founder of San Francisco-based GrassRoots Impact, Inc.; and Cecelia McCloy, president & CEO of Walnut Creek-based Integrated Science Solutions, Inc., all members of the National Women's Business Council (NWBC), participated in the 2009 Women's Business Summit: Health Care and Business Growth in Washington, DC this week. The Summit, which was hosted by NWBC, in conjunction with Pfizer, Inc., encouraged dialogue among policymakers, health care experts, and the women's business community on the challenges and realities of health care reform and women business owners' role in driving the economic recovery. In addition to members of the NWBC, participants included representatives of top women's business organizations, health care professionals, and White House, SBA, and congressional staff.

During the event, participants shared their insights on current policies affecting small business owners struggling to find access to affordable health care options and grow their businesses. Summit attendees agreed upon the following set of shared principles to contribute to the national dialogue on health care reform:

• Accessibility: a menu of customized programs for individual choice
• Affordability: Transparent, per capita pricing, parity for service across state lines. Tort reform and electronic medical records are essential.
• Portability: Individually-owned, and goes with an employee 
• Wellness: Wellness education for the entire community. Individuals must take responsibility for lifestyle choices like smoking, obesity, alcohol/drug use. Employers should provide healthy options and incentives.

"The Council is pleased to have a role in this important debate," said NWBC Executive Director Margaret Barton.  "We look forward to advancing the common principles established by the Summit participants." The Council will formulate a letter to policymakers outlining the key recommendations and outcomes from the event.
"Small business employers care about the health of their employees but too often cannot afford to pay the health insurance premiums," said McCloy. "This summit focused on the issues important to women business owners and provides solutions that will be considered in the health care debate taking place in Washington D.C."  
Kasoff adds, "Healthcare reform is top of mind to business owners. When surveyed, 40% are unable to provide health insurance to their employees. From a small business perspective, access to nationwide pools would address the issues of affordability and access." Blackburn asserts that the healthcare system reform is much more than health insurance reform and must include provisions for portability and cost containment."

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The National Women's Business Council is a bi-partisan Federal government council created to serve as an independent source of advice and counsel to the President, Congress, and the U.S. Small Business Administration on economic issues of importance to women business owners. Members of the Council are prominent women business owners and leaders of women's business organizations. As the nation's advocate for the more than 10.4 million women-owned businesses in the U.S., the National Women's Business Council works to promote increased access to affordable health care, access to capital, access to federal contracts and international markets, and access to the information and expertise women business owners most need to succeed. The Council conducts research on issues of importance to women business owners and their organizations and connects the women's business community to policy makers in order to expand and improve opportunities for women business owners and their enterprises.