H.R. 1101, the Small Business Health Fairness Act, would allow small-business employers, including franchise owners, to offer health insurance benefits through membership in a legitimate trade association, including a franchise system.

New small-business health reimbursement rules provide a great opportunity to employers with fewer than 50 employees, who do not or are unable to offer group health insurance, to assist employees with rising medical costs.

Nine states have enacted joint employer bills and 10 states are examining the issue in 2017.

Fix joint employer, avoid restrictions on franchise agreements and non-competes, apply new wages fairly, revise the tax code, establish a market-based health care system, increase access to credit and hire more veterans. Those seven initiatives will lead to additional business growth for the 733,000 existing franchise establishments and the creation of many more new locations that directly support more than 7.6 million jobs in the U.S. For those of us in franchising, sounds simple enough, right?

New small-business health reimbursement rules provide a great opportunity to employers with fewer than 50 employees, who do not or are unable to offer group health insurance, to assist employees with rising medical costs.

When governments insert themselves into business and unlevel the playing field, consumers ultimately suffer the consequences.