Kerry Says Bush Ignoring Plight of Small Business

Proposes Health Care Reform to Help Small Business

Democratic presidential candidate John F. Kerry said Tuesday that America's small businesses need health care reform to heal the economic damage caused by sharply rising medical costs he contends have created a national crisis.

Kerry called for giving small business tax credits of up to 50 percent to help them provide coverage for low- to moderate-income employees. He also proposed having the federal government help small businesses cover the costs of catastrophic medical care, which he said would save a family as much as $1,000 each year.

"It's a free-for-all right now," Kerry said. "We have to give our small businesses and their employees the help they need."