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Background

Congress has debated health care reform legislation for decades. This year Congress is poised to take on the debate and follow President Obama's goal of health reform. The President wants to expand coverage. AGC supports affordable, quality health care through broader coverage, choice and competition in the marketplace. However, AGC is concerned the current proposals in Congress will do nothing to control growing health care cots, while placing new burdens on employers and imposing tax penalties on firms and individuals unable to afford them.

U.S. House Proposal

• H.R. 3962, the Affordable Health Care for America Act - The nearly 2,000 page bill is estimated to spend over $1 trillion in the first 10 years to subsidize health care for the uninsured. It will also create a government-run insurance program to compete against the private insurance market and shift individuals from private insurance to the government-run exchange; new insurance mandates and regulations would raise premiums; new taxes on individuals who purchase insurance and those who don't; and, new taxes and mandates on employers. The legislation fails to reduce costs or make coverage more affordable for the nation's employers. Read more.

U.S. Senate Proposals

• America’s Health Future Act: America’s Health Future Act - creates co-ops to purchase health care that operate at the regional, state and national level. Insurers cannot reject applicants based on pre-existing conditions or renewals. All individuals are required to have health insurance and it can be purchased through exchanges. The mandate comes with subsides for low income individuals and tax penalties for individuals who fail to purchase coverage. There is no employer mandate. Employers with over 50 employees that do not offer coverage must reimburse the government for each employee receiving health care subsidies.
• Affordable Health Choices Act - creates a public plan option to compete with private insurance. Insurers cannot reject applicants based on pre-existing conditions or renewals. All individuals are required to have health insurance and can purchase coverage through exchanges. The bill includes subsides for low income individuals and tax penalties for individuals who fail to purchase coverage. The HELP Committee's plan contains an employer mandate for employers with over 25 employees, and failure to provide adequate coverage results in a $750 penalty for each uninsured full time worker each year. The plan makes tax credits available for small employers to purchase insurance.

Side-by-Side Comparison

View an interactive side-by-side comparison by the Kaiser J. Family Foundation of the leading comprehensive reform proposals across a number of key characteristics and plan components.

Impact based on H.R. 3200 - updated August 20, 2009

What Does a Health Insurance Mandate Mean for Construction Industry Employers?

• Several health care reform bills in congress require private companies to provide health insurance for all employees and their families. While this mandate may be well-intentioned, it may actually have force employers to shift the costs of doing business even more by possibly eliminating some of these fringe benefits, cutting pay or even cutting jobs. Read more.

Is Your Company's Health Plan "Qualified"?

• As many construction employers are trying to figure out exactly what health care reform will mean for them, one issue that raises questions for employers, insurers and employees alike is that of a "qualified health benefits" plan. H.R. 3200, the America's Affordable Health Choices Act of 2009, requires employers to provide a "qualified health benefits" plan for all employees and their dependents or face stiff penalties. Read more.

Oppose House Health Care Reform Bill

Contact your members of congress and urge them to oppose the Affordable Health Care for America Act and ask them to work toward finding real solutions to improve options and lower the costs of health care. The bill fails to address the root cause of rising costs, will likely eliminate competition and restricts economic growth with punitive penalties for employers.

Briefing Materials

AGC briefing paper on supporting affordable, quality health care through broader coverage, choice and competition in the marketplace. (Updated October 2, 2009)

Coalitions

The Small Business Coalition for Affordable Healthcare works to increase the access and affordability of health insurance for small business owners, employees and the self-employed.

The Employers for a Healthy Economy is a coalition of organizations representing small and large employers that have joined together to protect the employer-sponsored health care that more than 160 million Americans rely on to keep them healthy.