The National Federation of Independent Business this morning will kick off a campaign to push its health care agenda with the three presidential candidates, Members and Congressional candidates, and state and local politicians. As part of the effort, dubbed Solutions Start Here, the small-business group is sending letters today to the presidential candidates asking them to pledge that health care reforms supported by NFIB would be a top priority for the next president.

[IMGCAP(1)]“This will be a multimillion-dollar effort, without question the largest of its kind for NFIB,” said the group’s Dan Danner. “This is a powerful political issue for the small-business community, which is a powerful voting bloc.”

NFIB will also release a poll showing that 53 percent of small-business owners and employees say that finding affordable health care is the “most important factor” in how they vote. NFIB says more than half of the nation’s 46 million uninsured are small-business owners, employees and their dependents.

NFIB’s Solutions Start Here will advocate for tax breaks for health insurance, among other items. After the election, Solutions Start Here will focus on getting legislation passed.

When health care reform came up in 1994, Danner said, “we were perceived to be against doing something. Now, we’re going to do everything possible we can to get something done in 2009.”

— Kate Ackley