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NEWS RELEASE
October 29, 2009
House health care reform bill will require substantial changes to earn employer supportWASHINGTON, D.C. — “The Affordable Health Care for America Act — unveiled today by Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi — does not do enough to rein in soaring health costs, and will shift enormous new costs and burdens to employers who sponsor health insurance for their employees,” said American Benefits Council President James A. Klein today. “We urge the House of Representatives not to approve this measure, but to continue working to develop a bill that provides much-needed health reform without jeopardizing employer-sponsored coverage that now serves more than 160 million Americans,” Klein said.The Council has consistently supported a balanced, bipartisan approach to health care reform that recognizes the value of employer plan sponsorship. “Employers are demanding purchasers of health care services, increasingly focused on leveraging their health care dollars by partnering with those who can demonstrate proven value and improved health care status for employees and their families,” Klein said. “We hope that, as reform legislation advances toward enactment, lawmakers will incorporate several of the provisions first developed by the Senate Finance Committee, which help avoid many of the destabilizing provisions embodied in the House bill,” Klein said. “We look forward to working with Congress to achieve reform that employers, employees and all stakeholders can embrace.”
The American Benefits Council is the national trade association for companies concerned about federal legislation and regulations affecting all aspects of the employee benefits system. The Council’s members represent the entire spectrum of the private employee benefits community and either sponsor directly or administer retirement and health plans covering more than 100 million Americans.
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