AGC Prepares for Health Care Debate

Congressional leaders and President Obama recently announced that health care reform is a top legislative priority and they will begin crafting health care reform legislation in the coming weeks. Members of Congress are using the two-week district work period to hold town hall events focused on evaluating the national debate on comprehensive health care reform. It is expected that Congress will work towards an August timeline to hold votes on reform, which gives them several months to hold hearings with key stakeholders and to develop a proposal. The two main issues Congress must overcome are expanding government-provided insurance while winding down employer-provided insurance, or expanding private and employer-provided insurance. Congress must also determine if they will attempt to pass a comprehensive proposal or if they will move toward incremental reform. Regardless of the decision, the industry can expect attempts at changing the current process. In response to the priority given to reform in Congress, AGC has formed a task force with the goal of establishing AGC's policy positions on health care reform. The proposals crafted by Democratic leaders are expected to include tax increases on business and increased government mandates on employers. AGC will need to evaluate the proposals and begin advocating for a proposal that will generate affordable, quality healthcare through broader coverage, choice and competition in the marketplace.