- HEALTH CARE BILL
TO HELP
- UNINSURED PASSES
FIRST
- HURDLE TO THE
FLOOR
- Bill Will Help
Millions of Uninsured Find
- Quality,
Affordable Healthcare
WASHINGTON, DC - Today, House
Small Business Committee Chairman Manzullo's (R-Mo.) proposal to
offer hard-working uninsured Americans quality, affordable health
care cleared its first hurdle on its way to the House floor. The
Education and the Workforce Subcommittee on Employer-Employee
Relations voted on a series of health care bills designed to offer
millions of uninsured Americans health care and improve the existing
system. Talent's proposal, a bill designed to allow small businesses
to pool together to offer healthcare to their employees through
Association Health Plans (AHPs), was passed by voice
vote.
"During the entire debate on healthcare reform,
the uninsured have been the only people who haven't had a voice in
Washington. No one lobbies for them," said Talent. "But today, we
stood up for the millions of hard-working Americans who have no
voice in Washington and no healthcare. I'm pleased the Subcommittee
put politics aside to pass this important measure," added
Talent.
Of the 43 million Americans currently without
health insurance, almost 60% work for a small business or are
dependents of someone who does. AHPs allow national trade
associations, from the National Restaurant Association to the
American Farm Bureau, to sponsor health care plans. The small
business people or farmers who are members of the associations can
buy into these plans for themselves and their employees.
These Association plans, or AHPs, would cover
very large groups, would enjoy large economies of scale, and could
offer self funded plans that would not have to provide any margin
for insurance company profits. As a result, the AHPs would, by
conservative estimates, save small business 10-20% on health care
costs.
AHPs can not currently operate nationally but
are available in some states. Even in that limited sense, AHPs have
had a significant impact in making insurance more accessible. The
Western Growers Association (WGA) offers an association health plan
in California that provides quality healthcare which agricultural
migrant workers can afford. One WGA family health plan covers
employee, spouse, and children for $149 per month for employees of
any age. In comparison, the least expensive, comparable health plan
offered by the government-run Health Insurance Plan of California
(HIPC) is $273.75 per month. - almost twice as much
The bill now is headed to the full Committee for
a vote before being readied for passage by the entire House of
Representatives. Chairman Talent is hopeful that the bill will
continue to receive overwhelming bipartisan support, and that
Congress can move swiftly to end this injustice that has afflicted
small businesses for too long.