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Davenport business, hospitals, carefully watching health care legislation

“It’s going to be difficult to fix it to please everybody,” said One Step Incorporated owner Doug May.

DAVENPORT -

There's a new million-dollar printing press to show how One Step Incorporated is growing during challenging times.

The 22-year-old Davenport business has doubled its workforce to 40 and tripled sales over the last five years.  It prints a variety of items for businesses reaching from Chicago to the Quad Cities.

But at the same time that it's enjoying solid growth, health insurance costs have also doubled over the same time frame.

"No small business wants the government telling them they have to do this," said owner Doug May, on Thursday, June 22.

One Step and its employees split the health insurance costs.  But as prices continue to rise, there's less take home pay.

"When a lot more of their pay is going toward health care, it's affecting their ability to lead a good life, too," said May.

For a growing business like this, rising health care costs continue to be a burden.  High costs slow small businesses by dragging economic growth.

"I think the more the income gets absorbed into the health care and our economy, the less money the economy has to grow," said May.

Health care providers like Genesis Health System are carefully watching the Senate legislation.

"We are concerned," said Ken Croken, chief marketing officer.

Genesis will join other providers to crunch numbers and evaluate the impact for the Quad Cities area in coming days.

"The impact this bill could have on the uninsured, and in general, America's health care," Croken continued.

Back at One Step, reforms seem inevitable. May says it's important for businesses like his to keep growing.

"It's going to be difficult to get good people without good health care," he said.

Also, challenging to contain costs and offer coverage.

"Everybody wants great health care," May concluded.  "It's going to be difficult to fix it to please everybody.  Nobody wants to pay more, but everybody wants more health care."

 

 

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