Health care costs make up a large part of a small business owners overhead costs, but a new bill in Congress may grant some relief.
Its a move some proprietors welcome. Take Marti Hanson, CEO of
, a Winter Park-based medical equipment provider. She said providing medical coverage for her 11-employee firm is costly, but its something she feels obligated to do.
We pride ourselves on taking care of our employees, she said, adding that any legislation to help her company overcome some of those costs would be well-received.
However, some business groups fear that goal may not be achieved in the legislation now moving through Congress.
Theyre afraid the bill being marked up this month by the Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee wont do enough to control health care costs, but will go too far in imposing stiff new insurance requirements including minimum coverage levels on employers.
They also worry that including a government-run plan as an option would lead hospitals and doctors to charge private insurers more for their services to compensate for underpayments from the public plan.
The e-mailed its members, urging them to oppose the Senate HELP Committees bill, calling it a dangerous proposal.
James Gelfand, the chambers senior manager of health policy, said hes optimistic the Senate ultimately wont go along with a provision calling for a government-appointed board to decide what level of benefits must be included in insurance plans. If that provision isnt changed, many employers likely would face higher insurance costs, because senators look at the benefits-rich plan now offered to federal employees as the gold standard for health care reform, he said.
Businesses should demand changes in the bill, including striking a requirement for employers to provide insurance to their workers, he said. We need health reform, but if the bill isnt fixed, I dont know how we could possibly support it.
The prospect of health care reform raising costs for small businesses is a legitimate fear, said John Arensmeyer, CEO of Small Business Majority, an organization that believes employers should provide insurance to workers.
But if done correctly, health care reform would save small businesses money, he said.
A study commissioned by Arensmeyers organization found businesses with fewer than 100 employees could save up to $855 billion during the next 10 years if health care reform is enacted, compared with what theyd pay for health insurance if the system isnt reformed.
The analysis, by Massachusetts Institute of Technology economist Jonathan Gruber, assumes Congress will require all but the smallest firms to provide health insurance to employees or pay a fee to the federal government. It also assumes Congress will give tax credits to small businesses to help them pay for the coverage a provision included in the Senate HELP Committees bill. With a strong credit, small businesses can be a big winner in this reform, Gruber said.
In fact, providing a tax credit to lower costs could level the playing field for those business owners who cant provide health coverage, said Keith Coker, president of OrLANtech, an Orlando-based commercial IT support, networking and cabling provider with 24 employees.
Saving money is on most small businesss minds, said Mike Chatham, president of
in Orlando. The 65-employee firm changed health care carriers this year from United Healthcare to Aetna to save nearly $140,000, or 18 percent, annually, he said. Health care is one of the largest expenses for a small business.
Todd McCracken, president of the
, said its not yet clear whether small businesses will be better off after health care reform.
Providing tax credits or other subsidies to small businesses for insurance coverage could create all kinds of weird incentives and disincentives for companies, he said. Basing the subsidies on the size of a business isnt a good solution because some small companies a law firm, for example can be quite profitable. Focusing on low-wage businesses may not be fair either, because that encourages companies to pay low wages, he said. Whatever you subsidize, you get more of.
McCracken also is disappointed the health care reform bills arent more aggressive about driving down health care costs by changing the way medicine is practiced.
The has been lobbying hard for health care reform for years, with the goal of bringing down costs for small employers through pooling mechanisms and insurance market reforms.
Like McCracken, NFIB lobbyist Amanda Austin thinks the Senate HELP Committee bill is a little light on cost containment. NFIB also opposes an employer mandate and a government-run insurance plan, two key parts of that panels legislation.
livejournal.

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To save MP3 music to MIDI format, you need an MP3 to MIDI file converter. This kind of software is widely available on the Internet for purchase. However, if you’re short on money, you can also try out the free MP3 to MIDI converters that some sites offer.
Below are examples of these sites.
MP3ToWav.org - MP3ToWav is a site that offers several types of audio file converters. Here you can find anything from CD rippers and DVD writers to Audio recorders and MP3 converters. The site is currently offering three MP3 to MIDI converters with trial versions which you can download for free. The first of these free MP3 to MIDI converters is the Audio to MIDI software that creates MIDI sequences from WAV/MP3/CD tracks in realtime.
Another free MP3 to MIDI converter offered at this site is the IntelliScore Polyphonic, which converts WAV to MIDI, MP3 to MIDI, and CD to MIDI. The third product is the Music Recognition Pro. This free MP3 to MIDI converter can save recorded WAV/MP3/CD music to MIDI scores.
AllFormMP3.com . AllFormMP3 offers free versions of popular audio file converters, like the free MP3 to MIDI converter. One of their top MIDI converters is the TS-AudioToMIDI program that converts digital music into MIDI sequences. What makes this free MP3 to MIDI converter standout from the rest is that it can process polyphonic music with many tones and voices.
There are two recognition modes that this software operates in: off-line and real-time. When in off-line mode, this free MP3 to MIDI converter creates MIDI sequences from files inputted into your PC, such as MP3s or CDAs. This allows you to upload melodies to your webpage, play sounds on your cell phone, and more. In addition to that, you can also use the MIDI files to let visitors to your site preview your very own online MP3 music collection.
When in real-time mode, the free MP3 to MIDI converter records music coming through a microphone or line input of your computer and save it as a MIDI sequence.  Thus, you can therefore use this unique software as your very own music processor to make your guitar sounding like a violin, a piano, etc.

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I am only 21 yearsold and started noticing thinning of my hair back last summer. I was also on a 6 month course of accutance which can cause hairloss but the actual thinning did start before i ever took the drug, and my moms side of the family has considerable hairloss so its most likely genetic. Anyway, is there anyone out there who is currently on propecia or has been and if so does it actually work? How long does one need to be on the medication for? Did you expierience any side effects etc? any information would be greatly appreciated thanks.

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