Press Releases

Today, Education and Workforce Committee Chairman Tim Walberg (R-MI) spoke on the House Floor in support of H.R. 6703, Lower Health Care Premiums for All Americans Act, which includes his bill, H.R. 2528, the Association Health Plans Act, and H.R. 2571, the Self-Insurance Protection Act, authored by Rep. Bob Onder (R-MO):

“Because of the Unaffordable Care Act, health care costs are out of control, and small businesses—and the families that they employ—are paying the price. The Unaffordable Care Act drove premiums up and added red tape, forcing many small employers to drop coverage or stop offering it altogether.
 
“And now my Democrat colleagues want to extend enhanced benefits that they couldn’t get their own party to support for more than three years when they passed them. Democrats made this problem. And now they want us to ‘fix’ it by doing the same thing that has extended this problem. They want our family, friends, and neighbors to suffer further pain as opposed to joining us and fixing the problem. 
 
“My bill, the Association Health Plans Act (H.R. 2528), allows small businesses and self-employed Americans to band together—like large companies—to lower costs and deliver high-quality coverage. The CBO estimates that this could cover more than 200,000 previously uninsured Americans and attract 700,000 people annually to Association Health Plans. 
 
“Complementing this, the Self-Insurance Protection Act (H.R. 2571), authored by Rep. Bob Onder (R-MO), shields small businesses from regulatory overreach while expanding affordable health care options.
 
“Together, these measures, included in the Lower Health Care Premiums for All Americans Act, cut red tape, protect choice, and lower costs.
 
“I plead with my Democrat colleagues to join us in bringing about a remedy to our health care system which is broken because of the Unaffordable Care Act. They broke it but please join us to fix it.”