As the ball dropped in Times Square and calendars flipped from 2013 to 2014, it was more than just the start of a new year – it also marked the beginning of the small business health insurance tax (HIT) that took effect Jan. 1.
Despite a bipartisan group of now more than 250 Members of Congress committed to repealing the HIT and President Obama shielding unions and large corporations from other aspects of the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act, small businesses and their employees were welcomed to 2014 with a new $100 billion tax that will add $5,000 to the typical family’s health care premiums over the course of the next decade.
So now that the HIT is in full effect, what comes next?
The Stop the HIT Coalition will continue to raise awareness about the long-term damaging effects the HIT will have on small businesses and their employees around the country. In recent weeks, as the HIT drew closer and ultimately became a reality, people across the country sat up and took note of just what exactly this devastating new tax will mean for the tens of millions of people.
While nothing about the HIT taking effect is good news for small businesses and their employees, the upside to all this attention is that it will highlight the issue in the lead up to this year’s elections. Health care is sure to be a major issue once again this fall, and as we’ve chronicled previously, the HIT is bad politics for the president and others who support it. Pledging to provide relief from the HIT is an important way for a candidate to demonstrate he or she stands on the side of small businesses that are trying to grow and add jobs and families that are trying to make ends meet.
We have some exciting things planned to continue highlighting the impact the HIT has on everyday Americans, and we need your help as we continue to work to repeal this tax in 2014. Follow us on Facebook and Twitter to stay up to date on our efforts, and contact your Member of Congress to share your concerns about the HIT.