like michael kahn in new hampshire who, as he puts it, spends 20% of each day supervising a staff, explaining insurance problems to patients, completing authorization forms, writing a few letters, a routine that he calls disruptive and distracting giving him less time to do what he became a doctor to do and actually care for his patients. [applause] >> small-business owners, like chris and becky link and nashville are also struggling. they have always wanted to do right by the workers at the family-run marketing firm. but they recently had to do the unthinkable and lay off a number of employees, lay off that could have been deferred, they say, if health care costs weren't so high. across the country over one third of small businesses have reduced benefits in recent years, and one third have dropped their workers coverage altogether since the early '90s. our largest companies are suffering as well. a big part of what led general motors and chrysler into trouble in recent decades were the huge cost they racked up providing health care for their workers. cost that made them less profitable and l

our costly health care system is unsustainable for doctors, like michael kahn, in new hampshire, who spends 20% each day surprising a staff explaining insurance problems to patients, compleeth authorization boards, writing appeal letters, a routine he calls disrupting and spending less time doing what he became a doctor to do and actually care for his patients. [applause] small business owners like chris and becky link in nashville are also struggling. they always wanted to do right by the workers at their family-run marketing firm but they recently had to do the unthinkable and lay off a number of employees, playoffs that could have been deferred if health care costs were not so high. across the country, over 1/3 of small businesses have released benefits in recent years and 1/3 have dropped coverage awl altogether since the early 1990's. our largest companies are suffering as well. a big part of what led general motors and chrysler to trouble were the huge cost s of health care for their workers. costs that made them less competitive with automakers around the world. sf we do not f