If small businesses want to buy the high-cost option and they can afford it, great. If they don't, why can you not offer them lower-cost options?

All we're saying is, let small business have a choice. Right now they barely have one or two choices in the small-group market. Let employers choose what they think is best.

Health-care costs have been their No. 1 concern for 20 years.

The concept behind the bill is something that everyone agrees on . I think we just disagree on how to get there. It's going to take a lot of discussion and education on both sides to get this done.