• Healthcare Costs Begin to Moderate
• Important Legislative Update
• Sen. Enzi: Passage Of Small Business Health Plans Can Be Won This Year
• Uba Survey Shows Fewer Differences In Employers' Benefits, Services
• Small-Business Health Insurance Bill Voted Down
• Cahu Report Shows Flaws In Single-Payer Health Plan
• States' Health Care Costs May Dwarf Pensions

Sen. Enzi: Passage Of Small Business Health Plans Can Be Won This Year

WASHINGTON, May 16 /U.S. Newswire/ -- U.S. Sen. Michael Enzi (R-Wyo.) told Realtors (r) in town for the National Association of Realtors(r) Midyear Legislative Meetings that completion of small business health plan legislation is still within reach this year. A record number of 10,000 Realtors (r) are attending the five- day conference and visiting Capitol Hill to press lawmakers on real estate issues.

Last week, a Senate vote failed to allow debate the Insurance Marketplace Modernization and Affordability Act (HIMMA), S. 1955. The legislation as passed by the Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee would allow self-employed workers and small business employees such as Realtors to band together through a trade or professional association to negotiate lower health insurance costs, giving them access to the same quality and affordable group insurance plans currently available to union workers and employees of large corporations.