For Immediate Release:
Contact: Kelly Broadway, 202-808-8853
Congress Should Reinforce Jobs-based Coverage Through Small Businesses
Washington, DC – The Council for Affordable Health Coverage (CAHC) is issuing the following statement on today’s U.S. Senate Committee on the Budget hearing titled, “Medicare for All: Protecting Health, Saving Lives, Saving Money”:
“It’s sad to see the same tired Washington-first health care ideas. Frustrated voters deserve more. Unfortunately, by a 3 to 1 margin they do not believe Congress is addressing their health care priorities,” said Joel White, President of CAHC. “Instead of government-run health care, Congress should reinforce jobs-based coverage so that small businesses can offer affordable care to their employees.”
Recent polling shows Americans like the coverage they have, and they want to keep it. Should Congress go down the single payer path, they will destroy the current healthcare system, with union plans being the biggest losers. Union plans cover more than 11 million Americans. Their members are more likely to have healthcare benefits than non-union members. Health care is so important to them that they often strike to ensure they get the best benefits possible. Additionally, the single payer system will eliminate cost-sharing making it a much more expensive option than the current system.
CAHC believes the private market solutions below are the right path forward:
- Reforming and expanding the existing small business tax credit, which only small businesses with less than 50 employees can access. CAHC supports allowing companies with 200 or fewer employees to qualify – a solution that would benefit millions of Americans.
- Allowing small business employees to access tax credits to pay for out-of-pocket health costs. Deductibles and cost-sharing are through the roof. Workers need more help to pay for their prescriptions and doctor visits.
- Allowing small businesses to self-insure just like large employers.
- Creating a small business high-risk pool to lower premiums market wide.
- New gig worker HSAs to help part-time employees obtain affordable coverage.
A single payer system will not work. It is time to move on from this failed idea and focus on solutions that will expand coverage and address rising costs.