BG resident wants Chamber of Commerce to advocate for affordable healthcare – BG Independent News

BG resident wants Chamber of Commerce to advocate for affordable healthcare – BG Independent News

The Bowling Green Chamber of Commerce recently invited Representative Ghanbari and Senator Gavarone to come and explain what they’ve done to promote business in our community. I am not in the business world, but I attended the legislative update, because it was a rare opportunity to engage my representatives in a public setting. Most of the questions pertained to the legislators’ accomplishments for business owners, such as providing tax relief and eliminating “burdensome” regulations. Only a few stray comments, such as the need for affordable housing, indicated an interest in the well-being of employees. If the mission of the chamber is to promote the success of local businesses, the welfare of employees should be important, particularly for small businesses in a close-knit community. The heart of Bowling Green is the collection of small shops that line Main Street. We can walk a few steps and get books and a cup of coffee, have dinner, drink a craft beer, find hardware to fix a leaky faucet, and buy a wide variety of goods and services at other nearby stores. The unique needs of these small businesses, and of their employees, should be a priority for the BG Chamber of Commerce. Healthcare is a major concern for all Americans, but it’s a bigger problem for employees in small companies. For most Americans, an employer pays about half of their health insurance premiums. Small businesses don’t have the revenue to do this, so their employees pay the entire cost. Due to legislation passed by Congress, health insurance premiums skyrocketed for people who buy it themselves. In the last year, over 150,000 Ohioans lost their coverage. I spoke to both of our representatives about the excessively high cost of healthcare in Ohio. It’s troublesome that Senator Gavarone, who owns Mr. Spots, didn’t seem interested in lowering the cost of health care for small business employees. It didn’t seem to occur to her that this should be her job. It should be obvious that health employees are more reliable and productive. Lobbying for healthcare should be part of the Chamber of Commerce’s mission. I hope that the next time the chamber invites our elected officials to explain how they’ve helped us, providing affordable healthcare is on the agenda. Debbie DalkeBowling Green