Providing for Consideration of H.R. 525, Small Business Health Fairness Act of 2005
PROVIDING FOR CONSIDERATION OF H.R. 525, SMALL BUSINESS HEALTH FAIRNESS ACT OF 2005 -- (House of Representatives - July 26, 2005)
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Mr. HENSARLING. Mr. Speaker, today I rise in strong support of the rule for H.R. 525, the Small Business Health Fairness Act of 2005, offered by the gentleman from Texas (Mr. Sam Johnson).
Mr. Speaker, if we do not act soon, America will face a health care crisis. Health care costs are skyrocketing. We all know it; and, unfortunately, so do the ranks of America's uninsured. As usual, government is part of the problem. More freedom and more competition is part of the solution.
With nearly half of the 45 million uninsured Americans employed by small businesses, or dependent upon someone who is, H.R. 525 will help more Americans get access to the affordable health insurance they need.
H.R. 525 would allow the creation of association health plans to help alleviate the enormous health care burden on America's small businesses. They will empower small businesses to join together to bargain with insurance carriers to get health care coverage for their workers at an affordable cost. No affordable cost, no insurance. Under current law, large employers that self-insure are exempt from State mandates while small businesses are not. This increases the cost of health insurance up to 13 percent and bars up to one-quarter of the uninsured from acquiring health care.
Mr. Speaker, that is not right. Small businesses and their employees should have the same right to quality health care insurance that large corporations and unions already enjoy. The Congressional Budget Office estimates that association health plans could actually reduce premiums for small businesses up to 25 percent. That could mean an average savings of $1,000 to $2,000 for the average family health plan offered by a small business. That means more people covered, more lives saved.
I urge all my colleagues to support the rule for H.R. 525 and the underlying legislation. With association health plans, we can dramatically reduce the number of uninsured Americans while increasing health care access, affordability, and choice.
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