For Immediate Release
Stop The HIT Coalition
Engages with Congressional Leaders During August Recess
Washington, DC – Over the course of the August recess, Stop The HIT Coalition members reiterated their call for immediate relief from the Health Insurance Tax (HIT) during in-district meetings with Congressional Republican and Democratic leaders and staff.
Stop The HIT Coalition members met with policymakers across the country, including in California, Montana, Tennessee, Wisconsin and Washington. These meetings come as members of Congress return to Capitol Hill and look to advance bipartisan stabilization reforms for the exchange market. This week, the U.S. Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor & Pensions holds the first of several hearings on steps to stabilize premiums and coverage for consumers in the individual and small group market.
The HIT was suspended in 2017 as a result of a bipartisan Congressional package passed in 2015. Congress has not extended the delay or passed a permanent repeal of the tax, which will force millions of consumers, small business owners, seniors, and Medicaid beneficiaries to pay a $14.3 billion tax hike next year. Coalition members urged policymakers to prioritize HIT relief as an urgent and necessary step to lower premiums for more than 29 million small business owners and their employees.
Small business owners convened in Knoxville to discuss the negative impact of the HIT on businesses and their employees. Clay Crownover, Regional Director for the Associated Builders and Contractors of Greater Tennessee noted that, “the Health Insurance Tax will create uncertainty and confusion in the construction industry, making it difficult for our Tennessee contractors to plan for the future and create jobs. In turn that would create less jobs, less projects, less investments, and less improvement throughout our state.” Read more.
Stop The HIT Coalition members also met with Speaker Paul Ryan (R-WI); Senator Ron Johnson (R-WI); Senator Patty Murray (D-WA); Senator Jon Tester (D-MT); Congressman Ami Bera (D-CA); Congressman Jeff Denham (R-CA); Congresswoman Stephanie Murphy (D-FL); Congressman Richard Neal (D-MA); Congressman Darren Soto (D-FL); and Congressman Eric Swalwell (D-CA).
Members of Congress also expressed their support for HIT relief over the course of August recess, calling on colleagues to prioritize repeal to address the affordability concerns facing small business owners. Reps. Kristi Noem (R-S.D.) and Kyrsten Sinema (D-AZ) urged members of the U.S. House of Representatives to “commit to full repeal of the Health Insurance Tax, and co-sponsor H.R. 246.” In addition, Congressman Scott Peters (D-CA) joined his colleagues in calling for action, “if we don’t act again, premiums will rise”.
For more information on the impact of the HIT on small business employees’ coverage and affordability, click here. To stay up-to-date on engagement by the Stop The HIT Coalition, follow us on Twitter: @StopTheHIT.
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Media Contact: edixon@reservoircg.com
About Stop The HIT: The Stop The HIT Coalition represents the nation’s small business owners, their employees and the self-employed who are actively working to repeal the Health Insurance Tax. Since the Coalition’s formation in 2011, it has grown to include more than 35 national organizations, representing millions of small business owners across the country.
Additional information may be found at www.stopthehit.com | Twitter: @StopTheHIT | YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/user/StopTheHIT | Blog: http://www.stopthehit.com/blog | Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/StopTheHIT
Download a copy of the release here.