Combs finds wall of opposition among Texas business to federal ...

Comptroller Susan Combs surveyed attitudes toward the federal health care overhaul among members of two major business groups, the Texas Association of Business and NFIB-Texas, which represents small business.

In results released Tuesday from more than 900 respondents, Combs said she was surprised at the magnitude of employers' negativity toward the law -- even though it does require larger ones (more than 50 employees) to cover their workers or possibly pay a penalty, starting in 2014. It should be noted that her survey found that 51 percent of Texas businesses with fewer than 25 employees don't cover those folks now. Under the law, tax credits for small employers who cover at least half of the cost of covering their employees will rise in 2014 to 50 percent of premium, from 35 percent now.

"While we expected to find some skepticism regarding health care reform among the respondents, the overwhelming weight of opposition was truly surprising," Combs said in her report. "Only 3.4 percent of the employers we surveyed believe the legislation will be good for their businesses."

Also Tuesday, Consumers Union reported a different take on the new law. It said that according to recently released information from the Texas Department of Insurance, several health insurance providers, including that state's largest insurer Blue Cross Blue Shield, are dropping health insurance rates. They're doing so, Consumers Union's Blake Hutson said, ahead of new "medical loss ratio rules" that will soon force high overhead, "low value" carriers to provide rebates to policyholders.

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