Mark Jacobs

Mark and his family own a small lumber company that has operated in the community since 1873. When the family acquired the company, they kept the previous benefits and continued to pay two-thirds of all employee and family medical coverage costs. Mark worked alongside his employees for years and makes sure they have the health care coverage they need to stay healthy.

Each year health insurance premiums have increased significantly and the company has had to cut back on the coverage they offer and transfer more of the cost to employees. Eventually, Mark ran out of options and had to lay people off, partly due to rising health care costs. “I get annoyed with all the ‘small business is the backbone of America’ rhetoric with no real help,” Mark says. Mark knows that our national leaders have addressed the issue, but feels more needs to be done to make sure his employees are able to get the quality care they need and deserve.