Marlin Steel Owner Testifies to U.S. Senate on Impact of Health Insurance Cost Increases on Small Manufacturers

PR Web

Washington, D.C. (PRWEB) November 20, 2013

Drew Greenblatt, president of Marlin Steel Wire Products and an executive board member of the National Association of Manufacturers, testified today (Nov. 20) before members of the U.S. Senate Committee on Small Business and Entrepreneurship about the negative impact of health insurance cost increases on small U.S. manufacturers.

“My old plan was a good, quality product that I liked very much, but we were forced to give it up because it was no longer affordable due to mandates, taxes and fees required under the Affordable Care Act,” Greenblatt told the senators. “As an employer with fewer than 50 employees, I was repeatedly assured the ACA did not apply to me and that I would be able to keep my plan – that is simply not my experience.”

The hearing, titled “'Affordable Care Act Implementation: Examining How to Achieve a Successful Rollout of the Small Business Exchanges,” examined challenges small business owners are facing in the implementation of the Small Business Health Options Program (SHOP) Exchanges. Greenblatt was speaking as a board member of the National Association of Manufacturers (NAM), the nation’s largest manufacturing trade association. NAM represents 12,000 member companies who employ 12 million people in every industrial sector and state.

“When I think of health care reforms we need, and I think this is true of any businessperson, cost is the main issue,” he said. “Cost directly addresses the access issue. If we reduce the cost of care in a meaningful way, we make the health delivery system more efficient and we increase access to services. Driving up costs and then providing subsidies just camouflages the underlying problem -- cost.”

Marlin Steel Wire Products LLC is a privately held company in Baltimore, Maryland that manufactures precision-engineered wire basket and sheet metal fabrications for material handling for medical, aerospace, military, energy and telecommunications clients. Marlin Steel recently was named the 230th fastest growing private manufacturer in the country by Inc. magazine. The company recently passed 1,800 consecutive days without a lost-time accident.