| Weekly Update from Sam |
| Dear Friends,
The health care law’s rushed enrollment rollout encountered major problems right from the start. Unfortunately, technical problems are not the only concern. The New York Times reports higher costs in rural areas. CBS News reports that the pricing feature on the website is inaccurate and misleading. Forbes reports that over a half-million Americans have had their current plans canceled in just three states. Many of the new plans, structured to fit the law’s rules, instead of market demand, are more expensive or have much higher deductibles. This is particularly troubling because Americans were clearly promised by the President that “if you like your health care plan, you can keep your health care plan.” That promise should be kept.
All of this affects the economy and contributes to higher costs and uncertainty for small businesses. It’s evident that this entire program is not ready for primetime. More problems seem inevitable, and delay is in order, but delays alone are not a solution for bad policy.
Sincerely,
Sam Graves
Chairman
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Latest Committee Action
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On Thursday, Chairman Graves requested a delay in the crystalline silica rule, suggesting that more input from the small business community would help OSHA craft a regulation that will improve worker protection and safety. The Office of Advocacy has also requested a delay on behalf of small business owners. OSHA has proposed a 230-page rule, along with 1,400 pages of economic analysis and 1,700 pages of supporting documents. As reported here, this could affect 470,000 small businesses, and these owners should have more time to comment on the rule.
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News from Washington
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On Wednesday, by a vote of 417-3, the House passed H.R. 3080, the Water Resources Reform Development Act. In a struggling economy, this bipartisan bill invests in the revitalization of the national water transportation system to create jobs and economic growth. The national network of inland waterways and ports supports $1.4 trillion in goods yearly.
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In Their Words
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Small business owners are commenting at our Committee’s interactive website, Small Biz Open Mic, to share how the health law’s enrollment rollout is affecting their business.
“ObamaCare is a perfect example of government gone wild with other people’s money. I employ less than 50 people and provide good health insurance policies to all full timers even though I am not required to do so. These are BCBS policies with low out-of-pocket expenses. Every one of my employees has recently received a letter informing them that their policies will be cancelled because they do not conform to 'government guidelines.' As we begin to look at replacement policies, we see that both monthly costs and out of pocket expenses with both skyrocket. I will have to cap my contribution and pass all extra burden on to the employee. This will definitely hurt every one of them. This is a totally absurd government monstrosity.” – Scott Marsh (Ijamsville, MD) Denovo Biotechnology, October 22, 2013
“My husband and I own a small manufacturing company. We have contributed more than 50% towards our employees’ health insurance premiums for over 10 years. We have absorbed double-digit increases in premiums and offered high deductible plans in order to allow our employees and their families to be covered at a manageable cost. The plan that we offered in 2013 is considered "non-compliant" with the ACA. A "comparable" plan that is compliant will result in an average 27.9% premium increase for 2014. We cannot afford our portion and my employees cannot afford theirs. The delays in getting rates to employers will mean that we don't have enough time to make a well-considered decision on what to offer (if anything) to our employees. I spend more time on insurance issues than I do on running my business. How is this better for anyone?” – Nancy Williams (Cheshire, CT) Harkness Industries, October 22, 2013
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