Health Care Solutions for Small Businesses

If you’re the owner or manager of a small business in Central Texas, the Indigent Care Collaboration wants your help. The group, which includes Lone Star Circle of Care, Travis County Healthcare District, Seton Family of Hospitals, St. David’s Healthcare Network, Austin Area Research Organization, and the Shivers Cancer Foundation, are surveying small businesses for possible solutions to the expanding problem of unaffordable health care in the region – approximately 17.9% of Central Texans lack sufficient health coverage, even though the majority of them are employed, and only 52.4% of Texans have employer-sponsored health insurance, the group says. The ICC also says that of 32,000 businesses in the region, 40% are currently unable to offer insurance. “Our goal isn’t to come up with a plan and ask everyone to accept it,” says Clarke Heidrick of the Travis County Healthcare District in a press release. “We want to hear directly from small businesses about what will work for them and how the right health coverage package can help businesses and individuals succeed and be competitive in our region and beyond.” If you’re a small business owner – regardless of whether your company offers coverage – you can take the survey at www.healthcarecentraltexas.com. The deadline to complete the survey is Friday, July 27.