Last Committee Vote Clears the Way for Senate Showdown

- from National Federation of Independent Business

Just two days ago the Senate Finance Committee voted to approve America’s Healthy Futures Act of 2009.

It’s not perfect, but of the bills that have won committee approvals in the House and the Senate, this is the only one that gives us a real chance at reaching the goals that we’ve worked so hard to achieve.

However, you need to know this is just one more step to a final bill, and tough debates lie ahead. We’ll be watching these debates carefully, as we’ll have to weigh the benefits of reform against potential new costs of doing business. Rest assured we won’t support a final health reform package if its long-term costs outweigh the benefits we’ve secured in the Finance Committee’s bill.

Those benefits include:

• Individual and small group market reforms that include protections against preexisting conditions, and rating reform that accounts for variations in age, geography, family composition and personal behavior.
• A health insurance exchange modeled on provisions under the SHOP legislation (S. 979) that will improve competition, allow small businesses and individuals a broader choice of plans and create a simpler and more efficient way to purchase insurance.
• Provisions that will allow national benefit plans to be purchased across state lines that will increase competition and give more options to consumers.

There’s no doubt that some members of Congress will make a strong push to ensure that both an employer mandate and a public option are part of the final bill, so we have our work cut out for us to prevent these bad ideas from becoming the law of the land.

Our message to you is also our message to Congress: We need reform efforts that provide more affordable and accessible healthcare options for you and your employees. And we will do everything we can to ensure that a final bill makes your needs a priority.

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