The voices of small business owners are becoming increasingly key voices in the political and policy debates for health care. Immigrant and minority communities are establishing their own small businesses at a rate exceeding that of the national average. One third of all Korean American immigrants are involved in small businesses. We Must Have Health Reform: Survey of Korean American Small Business Owners in Los Angeles reports results from a survey of 50 Korean American small business owners in Koreatown, Los Angeles on their attitudes to health care, perspectives on different reform proposals, and experiences with health insurance and they believe that their businesses would be more productive if they had access to coverage for themselves and their employees.
Key findings include:
- 52 percent of the respondents did not have health insurance, and 96 percent were immigrants who had been living in the United States an average 18 years.
- 92 percent of respondents supported the public option.
- 72 percent of respondents supported removing the five-year bar for legal immigrants in publicly-funded programs such as Medicaid, Medicare and Children’s Health Insurance Program.
When asked what their top three issues within health reform were, they stated (in order of popularity): 1) removal of the five-year bar on Medicaid to include legal immigrants, 2) expansion of Medicaid for all children and pregnant women regardless of immigration status and 3) ensuring that more people are covered to reduce health costs for all.
– 70 percent of respondents said they believed that their business would be more productive if they had access to coverage for themselves and their employees.
Click here to read the report.
