Our national sample of 750 randomly chosen firms with fewer than 50 em
ployees reveals surprising findings about the traditional views of sma
ll business on health care reform. A substantial segment of the small
business community is sympathetic to health care reform, including suc
h controversial measures as mandating that all employers contribute to
the coverage of their workers, limits on health care spending, and al
tering the tax treatment of employer contributions for health insuranc
e. Without premium savings fewer than half of small businesses support
the concept of health insurance purchasing cooperatives. With premium
savings, a majority support it.