Press Releases

On Wednesday, February 9 at 10:00 a.m., the U.S. House Committee on Education and the Workforce, chaired by Rep. John Kline (R-MN), will hold a hearing on “The Impact of the Health Care Law on the Economy, Employers, and the Workforce” in room 2175 of the Rayburn House Office Building.

Employer-provided health insurance is a critical element of the American health care system. An estimated 170 million individuals receive health care coverage through an employer-sponsored health care plan. Health care reform signed into law in 2010 imposes significant changes on America’s health care system, including requiring all businesses with more than 50 employees to provide government-approved health insurance or pay a fine. According to the chief actuary at the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, the 2010 law increases national health care costs by $311 billion over 10 years. As a result, businesses must decide whether to provide government-approved health care at a higher cost or pay a government penalty. The Congressional Budget Office commented in October of 2010 that the health care law would reduce “the amount of labor used in the economy by roughly half a percent…” If true, that would result in fewer hours worked or the loss of 700,000 jobs. At a time when 13.9 million Americans are unemployed, Congress needs to fully understand the impact the 2010 health care law will have on the nation’s workforce.

Members of the committee will examine broadly the consequences of the Democrats’ health care law for employers and the workforce and hear directly from job creators how the 2010 law affects their ability to grow and hire new workers.  

 

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WITNESS LIST

Paul Howard, Ph.D.
Senior Fellow
Manhattan Institute
New York, NY

Gail Johnson
President and CEO
Rainbow Station, Inc.
Richmond, VA

Neil Trautwein
Vice President and Employee Benefits Policy Counsel
National Retail Federation
Washington, D.C.

Paul N. Van de Water
Senior Fellow
Center on Budget and Policy Priorities
Washington, D.C.