ABC March 16 vehemently opposed the U.S. Senate-passed version of the “Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act” (H.R. 3590) based on provisions contained in the bill that will harm the construction industry, as well as the tactics being considered to get it to pass the U.S. House of Representatives. In the letter sent to all members of the House, ABC noted that it will consider all votes on H.R. 3590 to be “key votes.”
H.R. 3590 contains government mandates likely to increase premiums requiring every individual to purchase health care, in addition to $28 billion in new taxes on employers that do not provide government-approved health plans. The bill also singles out the construction industry by requiring firms with an average of five or more employees during the previous year and whose annual payroll expenses exceed $250,000 to pay for health insurance for their workers or be subject to a federally imposed fine of $750 per employee. Comparatively, H.R. 3590 generally exempts other small businesses with fewer than 50 employees from the fines.
“Our nation cannot afford the enormous cost of this bill, with some estimates placing the cost at $2.5 trillion over 10 years of full implementation, and a very real possibility of a final dollar amount eclipsing what is estimated,” ABC stated in its letter. “If enacted, taxes are projected to increase by nearly half a trillion dollars, much of which will fall squarely on the shoulders of America’s small businesses.”
ABC also denounced the path being considered to move the health care reform bill forward. Although the action may be unconstitutional, the House is working to approve a rule governing the consideration of the reconciliation bill that will “deem” the Senate-approved health care bill passed upon adoption of the rule itself. This would allow the House to pass health care reform without ever voting on it. If the reconciliation package is then passed in the House, it would be sent to the Senate where it would only need a simple majority – 51 votes – rather than a 60 vote super majority, which is typically needed for legislation of this magnitude.
“We strongly oppose using the back door tactics known as reconciliation and the “Slaughter Rule” to pass such an expansive piece of legislation,” ABC said. “Congress should be allowed to address each portion of this bill and be afforded the time to thoroughly debate the merits of the provisions contained within this legislation.”
In addition to opposing several provisions in H.R. 3590, ABC also listed provisions that should be included in a true health care overhaul, such as reforming medical malpractice laws and adding the option for Small Business Health Plans which would allow workers in small businesses and the self-employed to join together to obtain the same economies of scale, purchasing clout and administrative efficiencies that large employer and unions can offer their employees. There could be a vote on the health care bill as early as the end of this week, although the language for the bill altering H.R. 3590 is not finalized and the Congressional Budget Office has not released a cost estimate.
To read a copy of the letter, click
here.
For more information, contact Brewster Bevis at ABC,
bevis@abc.org.