Griffin Votes to Protect American Workers from Losing Their Current Health Insurance
Press Release
Congressman Tim Griffin (AR-02) issued the following statement today after the House passed the Employee Health Care Protection Act (H.R. 3522):
"The President's oft-repeated promise that "if you like your plan, you can keep it' proved untrue last fall as millions of Americans, primarily those in the individual market, received health insurance cancellation notices due to Obamacare. Now, millions of American workers who have employer-sponsored health insurance could lose their current coverage due to Obamacare requirements. Our bill allows workers to keep their current health care plans, but it remains clear that Obamacare is the wrong approach and must be repealed and replaced with real, patient-centered health care reform."
According to the House Energy and Commerce Committee, insurance experts testified that approximately 50 million American workers with fully insured health coverage could face plan cancellations or disruptions due to Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (PPACA) requirements. (Testimony of Stan Veuger, American Enterprise Institute, before the House Energy and Commerce Committee's Subcommittee on Health, July 28, 2014)
H.R. 3522, which passed the House by a bipartisan vote of 247-167, provides that health insurance coverage in the group market during calendar year 2013 may continue to be offered through calendar year 2018. The bill specifies that health insurance coverage in the group market during calendar year 2013 shall be treated as a grandfathered health plan under Section 1501(b) of the PPACA for purposes of the PPACA's minimum essential coverage requirement. The bill clarifies that H.R. 3522 does not preempt state law.
H.R. 3522 expands on the Keep Your Health Plan Act (H.R. 3350), which passed the House in November 2013. H.R. 3522 extends plans in the small group market, while the "Keep Your Health Plan" bill applied only to individual market plans.
Rep. Griffin is a cosponsor of the American Health Care Reform Act (H.R. 3121), which would repeal and replace Obamacare.
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