WASHINGTON, DC - House Republicans this week will continue their effort to protect the American people from the health law’s many #brokenpromises as the House considers H.R. 3522, the Employee Health Care Protection Act. Energy and Commerce Committee member Rep. Bill Cassidy, M.D. (R-LA) authored this bill to allow Americans who purchase their health care on the group market to keep their policies in 2014 through 2019. The Congressional Budget Office also confirmed that this bill would lower the deficit by $1.25 billion, provide more health plan options with lower premiums, and raise wages for American workers.
The committee heard testimony in July warning that more than 50 million Americans are covered through fully insured plans in the group market. These plans are (or soon will be) subject to new requirements and changes under the law. That means millions of Americans could face plan cancellations, premium increases, and coverage changes starting this year, just as millions of Americans saw in the individual market last year. Additionally, CNBC reports on an analysis of reduced pay and fewer jobs as a result of the law which found that, “Individual year-round employees at businesses with 50 to 99 workers lost $935 annually, while those at firms with 20 to 49 workers are out an average of $827.50 per person in take-home pay." This comes from a recent study from the American Action Forum that also found “ACA regulations and rising premiums have reduced employment by more than 350,000 jobs nationwide, with five states losing more than 20,000 jobs."
“The president and his allies in Congress tried to sell this health law to the American people by making false promises. He said that families would save an average of $2,500 per year on premiums, that Americans could keep the health plans that they have and like, and that nobody would lose access to their trusted physicians. Each of these promises has been broken," commented Dr. Cassidy. “The Employee Health Care Protection Act is a commonsense proposal to protect Americans from the president’s broken promises. It will allow American families to save money, to have access to affordable health care choices, and will raise wages for workers."
