Sam Johnson Reintroduces Health Care Solution Empowering Small Business & Workers

Yesterday I reintroduced his Small Business Health Fairness Act (H.R. 2868), a health care solution that would allow small business employers to band together through association health plans (AHPs) in order to purchase quality health care at a lower cost.

Right now hardworking Americans are struggling due to Obamacare, and it’s becoming harder for employers, especially small businesses, to provide their employees with affordable coverage. I hear from folks all the time who have experienced sharp increases with out-of-pocket costs and premiums due to this bad law. I also hear from small business owners who want to offer health insurance but simply can’t afford it. Maybe you’ve experienced the same thing. And let me tell you, I think that’s wrong. That’s why I’m offering a solution with my Small Business Health Fairness Act – a bill to help Americans by enabling employers to provide affordable coverage to workers and their families.

You know, people like to accuse Republicans of not having alternative solutions for health care, but that really couldn’t be further from the truth. There have been several plans offered over the years, and the Small Business Health Fairness Act has been a key component of almost every one of those plans. I look forward to working with my colleagues to ensure this bill is enacted not if but when we repeal and replace Obamacare!

Local small business owners have lauded this bill, including Jeff Scheumack of Plano. Said Scheumack, “With not being able to pool small companies together to get a break on insurance policies and prices, small businesses like my own are at a competitive disadvantage in hiring employees since large employers can offer lower premiums and therefore higher take-home pay. At present, since my insurance has gone up so much, offering an employee a 3-5% raise does not even cover the increased cost of their insurance premium, even after I pay 75% of my employee’s premiums. I need the ability to pool together with other small businesses so that we have the bargaining power to get better policies and at lower costs.”