Margie Wakefield

Margie Wakefield, small business owner

Wakefield has owned Margie Wakefield Law Offices for 24 years and provides insurance for two full-time employees and her family.

Each year, the costs for insurance increases and she believes this is because there are not enough people in the insurance pool.

“As a small-business owner, you don’t have the ability to access a great pool so that the risk can be spread, so therefore your costs are higher,” she said.

“The thing that I find the most frustrating is that every year when I have to renew my policy, they tell me the costs are going to increase by X percentage and I ask, ‘Why?’ It’s due to nothing they can explain usually.”

She said from a business standpoint, the fix seems elementary — offer insurance coverage to all.

Wakefield would like to see reform that no longer discriminates against people for having pre-existing conditions.

She also would like to see young adults covered under family plans through age 26, guaranteed insurance renewal and no annual or lifetime caps on coverage.

“I am afraid that due to the compromises that are going to take place in Washington, there won’t be universal coverage.”