For Immediate Release:
Contact: Kelly Broadway, 202-808-8853
[email protected]
Washington, D.C. – The following statement is in support of efforts to lower health costs discussed at yesterday’s U.S. Senate Committee on Finance hearing, The Rising Cost of Health Care: Considering Meaningful Solutions for all Americans. The statement should be attributed to Joel White, President of the Council for Affordable Health Coverage (CAHC).
“Yesterday’s hearing made clear what small businesses across the country already know: rising health care costs are threatening their ability to compete and to provide meaningful coverage for their employees. Costs are so unmanageable, businesses are being forced to direct employees into Obamacare, where they are paying more for far fewer options.
Congress must put small employers at the center of any reform effort. That starts with ensuring they have access to flexible, affordable coverage options, including the ability to self-fund, and expanding and making permanent Association Health Plans so small businesses can band together to negotiate lower costs.
Lawmakers should also reform the Small Employer Health Insurance Tax Credit by expanding eligibility and allowing small businesses to use the credit for all major medical plans, not just Obamacare.
These commonsense steps would deliver real relief and give small employers the tools they need to offer high-quality, affordable coverage to their workers.”