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Bill Would Help Small Builders Provide Health Insurance
In a key vote for NAHB, the House of Representatives on July 26 passed legislation that would enable home builders and other small businesses to offer better and more affordable health care coverage for their employees.
Sponsored by Reps. John Boehner (R-Ohio), Sam Johnson (R-Texas), Nydia Velázquez (D-N.Y.) and Albert Wynn (D-Md.), H.R. 525, the “Small Business Health Fairness Act,” passed the House with strong bipartisan support.
NAHB President David Wilson noted that the bill “would help address the rising number of the uninsured and skyrocketing cost of health care by allowing small businesses to band together through associations to purchase quality health care at a lower cost.”
The measure would help as many as 2 million previously uninsured workers receive health coverage, according to estimates from the Congressional Budget Office.
The U.S. Census Bureau estimates that there are roughly 45 million uninsured individuals in the country today, up from 41 million four years ago and 43.6 million in the past two years. More than 24 million of these workers are employed by small businesses.
“To underscore the importance of this issue to home builders and the nation’s small businesses, NAHB designated consideration of the measure as a key vote,” said Wilson. “We urge the Senate to act promptly on companion bill S. 545 so that America’s working families can start receiving the cost-effective, high-quality health care coverage they deserve.”
To read the legislation, click here and enter the bill number in the box at the upper left.
For more information, e-mail Michael Strauss at NAHB, or call him at 800-368-5242 x8252.
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