Excerpt: Supporters of health reform legislation told a Senate subcommittee Tuesday that the insurance exchanges are critical for small businesses, which pay more than large companies to cover their employees and are cutting jobs and insurance coverage to control costs. The San Francisco Chronicle reports: 'Legislation approved by the Senate Finance Committee last week would create insurance exchanges that supporters say would aid small businesses by spreading risk among a greater number of participants. The result, they said, would be lower premiums. ... Small businesses could compare the price, quality and services of a number of plans offered through the exchanges, said Karen Mills, the administrator of the U.S. Small Business Administration.'

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