Policy Priorities
Affordable Health and Accessible Child Care
Affordable Health and Accessible Child Care
Small businesses are the backbone of the economy, but rising healthcare and child care costs are holding them back.
Without relief, these challenges make it harder to hire, retain employees, and grow.
84%
84% of Small Business Owners say high-quality child care is unaffordable for working parents
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Rising Healthcare Costs Are Squeezing Small Businesses
• Healthcare costs are increasing by 5-10% annually.
• Prescription prices alone are climbing by 15% each year.
• On average, small businesses pay over $6,000 per employee annually for health benefits.The Impact:
• Higher operational costs.
• Reduced ability to offer competitive benefits.
• Difficulty attracting and retaining top talent. -
Child Care Is Imperative For Small Business
According to the Goldman Sachs 10k Small Business survey:
• 84% of Small Business Owners say high-quality child care is unaffordable for working parents.
• 57% operate in areas with limited or no access to affordable child care.
• 38% report employee absences or reduced work hours due to lack of child care.The Impact:
• Limited workforce participation.
• Increased employee turnover.
• Lower productivity and business growth.
What We Need
It’s imperative to address the rising cost of healthcare and the burden of expensive child-care to enable our small businesses to drive our economy. While both parties appear to agree that these are issues, we are still yet to see an increased child tax credit or meaningful action to lower the total cost of healthcare.
We Encourage Congress to Extend Enhanced Premium Tax Credits
Individual Marketplace health plans have helped thousands of business owners and workers stay covered. But if Congress lets the Enhanced Premium Tax Credits expire, we risk losing that progress, forcing small businesses to make difficult cuts.
Over 3 Million American Small Business Owners At Risk
24 Million Americans at Risk of Becoming Uninsured
4.8 million Hispanic Americans enrolled in Marketplace coverage in 2024.
... But about 970,000 will lose health coverage if Congress lets Enhanced Premium tax credits expire in 2025.
Sign Our Letter to Congress
Stand with the United States Hispanic Business Council and add your name to our letter to Congress urging the extension of the Enhanced Premium Tax Credits (EPTCs).
The USHBC Supports the Kidney PATIENT Act
(H.R. 5074 / S.B. 4510)
Hispanic Americans face higher rates of Type-II Diabetes, the leading cause of End Stage Renal Disease (ESRD). Life saving phosphate lowering therapies (PLTs) are at risk of losing Medicare Part D coverage, threatening patient access and affordability.
The Kidney PATIENT Act protects access to newer, innovative phosphate lowering therapies (PLTs) by keeping them out of the ESRD bundled payment system. This ensures that vulnerable communities continue receiving essential care without added financial strain, at no additional cost to taxpayers.
We urge Congress to pass the Kidney PATIENT Act and safeguard life saving treatments for all who need them. We also urge the Centers for Medicare and Medicaids Services to issue regulations to restore access under Medicare Part D.
