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Removing Barriers to Lower Health Care Costs for Workers & Small Businesses

Part of a broader effort to provide Americans with greater access, choice, and flexibility in health care, the House today passed the Small Business Health Care Relief Act (H.R. 5447), bipartisan legislation that will restore the ability of small businesses to offer their employees Health Reimbursement Arrangements (HRAs) without being penalized.

Rep. Phil Roe (R-TN), chairman of the House Subcommittee on Health, Employment, Labor, and Pensions, spoke about the need to remove barriers to lower health care costs for working families. Too often, misguided federal rules stand in the way, and IRS guidance penalizing small businesses for helping their employees pay for health care through HRAs is the perfect example.

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This legislation is a no-brainer. As a physician with more than 30 years of experience, I’ve personally seen the need for commonsense reforms that will remove barriers to lower health care costs and give Americans more control over their health care decisions …

Employers of all sizes are implementing innovative solutions to address rising health care costs, and we should do everything we can to support those efforts. Unfortunately, misguided federal rules too often stand in the way … It simply doesn’t make sense for the federal government to restrict a positive tool aimed at expanding access to affordable health care coverage. It’s unconscionable that Obamacare is penalizing small businesses for trying to do the right thing and alleviate the financial burden on working families.

To read Rep. Roe’s full remarks, click here.

To watch the video, click here

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