Press Releases

Rep. Virginia Foxx (R-NC), chairwoman of the Committee on Education and the Workforce, and Rep. Tim Walberg (R-MI), chairman of the Subcommittee on Health, Employment, Labor and Pensions, today issued the following statement after the Department of Labor published a final rule expanding access to association health plans (AHPs) to benefit American workers and families:

“One of the greatest concerns for small business owners is providing affordable health care to their employees. The failures of Obamacare have resulted in limited coverage options at sky-high prices that hurt American workers and job creators.

“We have been working to provide relief to small businesses and their employees, and we are pleased the administration has taken action to expand health care options in the form of AHPs.”

Background: The House of Representatives passed the Small Business Health Fairness Act (H.R. 1101) in March of 2017 that would expand health care coverage and lower costs for working families. Introduced by Rep. Sam Johnson (R-TX), chairman of the Ways and Means Subcommittee on Social Security, and Rep. Tim Walberg, the legislation empowers small businesses to band together though AHPs and negotiate for lower health insurance costs on behalf of their employees. The bill passed by a vote of 236 to 175.

In October 2017, President Trump signed an executive order directing the Department of Labor, the Department of Health and Human Services, and the Department of the Treasury to expand access to affordable health care options. In response, the Department of Labor released a proposed rule in January 2018 to allow small businesses to join together through AHPs. In March of 2018, Chairwoman Foxx and Rep. Walberg submitted comments to DOL on the proposed rule that was finalized today.

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