Release Date: 8/05/2004

RISMedia, August 5, 2004, (KRT) - Rep. Sue Kelly took to the streets of this bustling village yesterday to tout health-care legislation for small businesses.

The Republican from Katonah, a former small business owner herself, toured a dozen Main Street shops and talked with owners about their worries.

A big one was health insurance, and Kelly boosted a bill moving through Congress that would help small businesses join forces to buy health plans.

Studies have shown that companies with fewer than 10 employees are much less likely than large ones to offer health insurance. The cost of coverage is a major factor.

The measure, which has passed the House but not the Senate, would allow small businesses to form Association Health Plans, through which they could negotiate with insurers much as big employers do. Some projections have said this could lower premiums by 15 percent to 30 percent.

"If you're one person, you don't have a lot of leverage," Kelly said. "This gives people leverage. It's a good bill."

Small businesses are the "backbone" of the Village of Warwick and they're essential to its vitality, said Mayor Michael Newhard, who accompanied Kelly through town. But they face a lot of challenges. Health insurance is just one.

"It's only getting more costly," said Newhard, who owns a Main Street home goods store. "And there are no breaks in sight."

Business owners talked more than just health care, though. Sussan Chakamian, cq who sells Persian rugs at her store Silken Wool, told Kelly about the difficulty of importing from Iran these days.

Others were just glad to have a sympathetic ear from their elected official, who owned a florist shop and a housing rehabilitation company before winning her seat.

"She's been there," said Nancy MacDonald, owner of Traditions Celtic Imports. "She's sensitive to the things that we encounter trying to survive in a world of big business."