mr. speaker , i rise in support of the small business health fairness act , h.r. 525 , which will allow small businesses and associations to band together to purchase health insurance coverage for their workers and their families .  the small business health fairness act can directly benefit the over 2 , 300 small businesses and associations in my congressional district and their employees .  h.r. 525 would allow ahps and small businesses to be certified under one federal law , instead of 50 different state regulations .  like large employers and labor unions that offer health insurance to their employees and members , ahps would be regulated by the u.s. department of labor .  many opponents of the small business health fairness act claim that ahps will `` cherry pick '' and therefore only benefit healthy people .  this is not true .  all ahps must comply with the health insurance portability and accountability act , which prohibits group plans from excluding high-risk individuals that have required repeated health insurance claims .  h.r. 525 also guarantees that only bona fide professional and trade associations can sponsor an ahp .  this measure ensures that ahps will undergo a strict , new certification process before they will be allowed to offer health benefits to employers .  this new certification process includes stronger solvency standards , including stop-loss and indemnification insurance .  studies have shown that ahps would save the typical small business owner between 15 percent and 30 percent on health insurance .  currently , there are 45 million americans who are uninsured .  even more troubling is the fact that 60 percent of uninsured americans work for small businesses that lack the resources to provide health care benefits to their workers .  in fact , 65 percent of small-business owners indicate high cost as the main reason why they do not offer health insurance .  small employers are facing 50 percent premium hikes , even as many insurers are leaving the small group market because it is not profitable enough .  the time to offer small businesses and associations the ability to band together to offer health insurance to their employees is now .  the small business health fairness act represents a first step in helping to lower the number of uninsured americans , many of whom work for small businesses .  h.r. 525 would introduce more competition into the market , reduce unnecessary regulation and administrative costs and make health coverage more affordable for small employers and their employees .  i urge support of h.r. 525 .  