Washington, DC, August 1--The U.S. House of Representatives on July 27 passed the Small Business Health Fairness Act (H.R. 525), a bill that permits the formation of association health plans (AHPs) as a step toward expanding access to health coverage and reducing the number of uninsured Americans.
The World Floor Covering Association (WFCA) has been a proponent of this legislation and is part of a coalition of associations in the U.S. that has aggressively lobbied for the passage of this bill.
AHPs allow small businesses to pool together through associations to purchase health care for employees and their families. President Bush has strongly supported the legislation as a way for small businesses to increase their purchasing power and lower their health coverage costs by as much as 30 percent, while giving them flexibility from 50 different state-mandated benefit packages.
The House passed the bill by a 263-165 vote, with the support of 36 Democrats. The coalition of associations supporting AHP legislation acknowledged Reps. Nydia Velaquez (D-NY) and Albert Wynn (D-MD) for their efforts to make H.R. 525 a bipartisan bill.
"The best patient protection for uninsured working families is access to affordable health care benefits and this bipartisan bill responds to the needs of uninsured Americans," said House Education & the Workforce Chairman John Boehner (R-OH).
AHP legislation has passed the House before, as recently as last year, but has not been successful in the Senate. This year, however, AHPs have been gaining more attention in the Senate. Earlier this month, Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee Chairman Mike Enzi (R-WY) submitted a statement for the record on the Senate floor calling for compromise on the issue of health insurance reform, and
including the concept of AHPs in the foundation principles he believes Congress should pursue. Enzi reiterated this desire in a July 20 article written for The Hill, saying, "It is time we put an end to this
impasse."
"Affordable health care programs are the number one benefit our members are requesting," says D. Christopher Davis, president & CEO of WFCA. "We believe AHPs can provide the health care solutions our members are seeking, and we remain steadfast in our resolve to see to it federal legislation is enacted to allow associations like WFCA to offer this
benefit to their respective members."
For detailed information on AHPs, check out the analysis by WFCA's Legislative Counsel in the Legislative Action Center of the World Floor Covering Association web site www.wfca.org
