Congressional Alert: Health Care
HEALTH CARE REFORM
August 11, 2009
ASK YOUR SENATORS AND REPRESENTATIVES
TO OPPOSE SMALL BUSINESS EMPLOYER EXEMPTIONS
IN THE PROPOSED HEALTH CARE REFORM LEGISLATION
As National FCA contractors, are you angry enough that you have to compete against other contractors who do not provide health care coverage for their employees? We know you are, so National FCA notified Congress on your behalf of our opposition to exempting small businesses from the health care legislation proposals. Those providing health care have subsidized health care provided to the uninsured and those businesses not providing health care for far too long.
As National FCA contractors, do you want a health care reform bill that would halt this unfair cost-shifting which presently increases health care costs for contractors who pay? We know you do, so while your U.S. Senators and Representatives are in their states and home districts, please contact them today, either by email or phone, and tell them to:
“strongly support small business employers who have been providing health care for their employees for decades by including an employer mandate with “pay or play” provisions without small business exemptions in any final health care legislation.”
We know Congress is on the “health care reform fast track,” and the pending bills will be acted upon when Congress returns from their August recess. Congress is being pressured to exempt small businesses from providing health care benefits—pressured by both the Obama Administration and several business groups (e.g., the Chamber of Commerce and the National Federation of Independent Business) who are strongly opposed to any employer mandates. So please, tell Congress that—
“a requirement for every employer to provide health care would create the widest possible coverage at the least cost to the government without disrupting the coverage of workers who now receive their health care benefits from their employers.”
National FCA contractors have a proven track record that demonstrates employers, both large and small, are fully capable of providing such health care insurance for their workers. Exempting small business employers as currently proposed (either with payrolls under $500,000 [estimated to be 85 percent of all construction contractors] or with fewer than 20 employees [estimated to be 90 percent]) would: (1) create a massive loophole in any health reform package, (2) maintain the competitive advantage held by construction contractors not providing such health care, and (3) impede the reductions in premium costs that could be realized from more widespread coverage of individuals and their families. And the proposed 8 percent of payroll penalty for those firms not providing benefits falls woefully short of maintaining prevailing industry standards, where union-signatory employers pay 21.5 percent of their payroll for health and welfare benefits nationwide. Tell your U.S. Senators/Representatives that—
“it is time for Congress to act to stop irresponsible employers who do not provide coverage for their workers from shifting the cost of providing such care to employers who do—you, National FCA signatory contractors. It is time for Congress to leave in place the current, non-taxed, employer-based system and include employer mandates with “pay or play” provisions.”
