WAIPAHU, Hawaii -- Hawaii's congressional delegation said bills in both the U.S. House and the Senate will protect Hawaii's system of employer-paid health insurance, but that worries many local employers who said health insurance costs soaring higher each year are a huge burden.

Fish Market owner Jerry Cheng has six employees.

Hawaii is the only state in the country to require all employers even small ones like Cheng to pay for insurance for full-time employees. Cheng said it's very costly.

"At times it makes me feel I should not do this anymore and just become an employee and not an employer," Cheng said.

Rep. Neil Abercrombie visited the Waipahu market where Cheng sells fish. Abercrombie is pushing for a waiver to keep Hawaii's current employer insurance requirement in place.

"Whatever comes out nationally Hawaii will be protected," said Abercrombie.

Hawaii's 1974 law has resulted in one of the highest rates of coverage in the country. Only about 10 percent of residents are without health care insurance.

The law said the employees share on insurance cost can be no more than 1.5 percent of their wages so employers each year pay a larger share.

Abercrombie said part of the reform is to help businesses.

"That's why we want to put the public option in, to make sure the insurance companies can't continually raise your rates to the point where you, particularly if you are a small business, are put out of business," said Abercrombie.

Beth Giesting heads an association of 14 community health centers helping the needy and uninsured.

"I would say that the waiver is really good, but honestly our health care system, our delivery system needs a whole lot of attention to make it affordable," Giesting said.

Hawaii Sens. Dan Inouye and Daniel Akaka are also pushing for a waiver to make sure Hawaii's health insurance law will take precedence if federal reforms are less than what we have today.