The right’s opposition to health-care reform is riddled with contradictions, as their recent flip-flop on Medicare cuts has made plain. The latest example comes from the National Federation for Independent Businesses, a right-leaning lobbying giant that has opposed the Affordable Care Act from the start—has become the only trade association to join a lawsuit to repeal it. In advance of Tax Day, the NFIB has sent out a memo explaining six ways that the law’s health insurance tax credit for small businesses will be hard to obtain and not helpful anyway, Politico reports.
But the NFIB concluded the memo on a very different note, admitting that it could benefit those businesses who qualify:
Despite our concerns with the structure of the credit and the criticisms written above, NFIB urges any small business to consult with an accountant to determine whether filing for the credit is a good idea. If they determine that filing is beneficial, then by all means the business should file and get whatever dollars the law will offer.
The NFIB’s caveat is a telling admission that federal health care reform does, in fact, have benefits for small businesses, some of which are available immediately and others—like the insurance exchanges—which will be available further down the line. Such benefits have convinced other small business advocacy groups and trade associations to split from groups like the NFIB. As I reported in January, local members have also pulled away from the Chamber of Commerce and its fierce opposition to health reform for the same reasons.
Unfortunately, many Americans still don’t know what’s actually in the federal health law. But if even the fiercest opponents of reform are willing to admit some of the benefits, it’s a sign that support for the law could grow further down the road.
