Cincinnati businessman testifies

A local businessman - Mike Cavanaugh of Queen City Electric - testified TODAY before the House Small Business Committee about the impact of skyrocketing health insurance costs on small business owners and their employees.

Cavanaugh is also a member of the Greater Cincinnati Chapter of the Independent Electrical Contractors. You can read their news release about his testimony HERE.

Cavanaugh testified about the challenges he faces in providing competitive health insurance benefits for his 25 employees. This is a big issue for small business employers. According to Cavanaugh, if employers can't offer a good benefits package, then many of today’s skilled workers will look for a new job with benefits that better meets their needs.

“Small businesses are at a significant disadvantage because we cannot easily band together to form large pools of insured individuals similar to big companies,” Cavanaugh said, adding that the money and time it takes to provide quality health insurance for his employees is the "largest uncontrolled cost" that his business faces every year.

The top Republican on the committee is Rep. Steve Chabot of Westwood.