Small
Business Needs Not Addressed in Health Care Bill Passed by House
It
looks like SAA members may have reason to be concerned about the health care
bill passed by the U.S. House of
Representatives on Saturday, November 7, 2009. The U.S. House passed H.R. 3962, the Affordable
Health Care for America Act. The vote was recorded as 220
yeas to 215 nays, with the majority of congressmen voting along party lines. To
help you better understand what this bill could mean for photographers, SAA has
pulled together some information for you to consider.
H.R.
3962 Concerns
While this bill represents the first step towards
addressing affordable health care access for all, there is concern about how it
impacts small business owners, like photographers. The contents of the bill that
are worrisome include:
·
An “employer mandate,” which means employers will be
required to offer health care to both full-time and part-time employees.
·
A provision requiring employers that do not provide
“qualified” health insurance to pay a payroll tax of up to 8% (percentage is
dependent on payroll size). This payroll tax also applies to employers who
offer coverage, but whose employees elect to participate in the health care
exchange.
·
Increased tax-compliance paperwork to account for
the above payroll taxes and any applicable health care tax credits.
Upon the passage of H.R. 3962, Susan
Eckerly, senior vice president of the National Federation of Independent
Business (NFIB), the nation’s leading small business association, stated: “Small businesses have long
supported reform that provides more affordable and accessible health care
options for them and their workers. Instead of listening to small
businesses, the House passed a bill that will actually make things worse for
small firms. Punishing small employers with employer mandates, payroll taxes
and a new government-run program paid for on the backs of small businesses,
will not fix our broken healthcare system.”
What Will the Senate
Do?
Although H.R. 3962 cleared the House, it now faces a new set
of challenges in the Senate. In addition to considering this bill, the Senate
must also weigh two different health care proposals: S. 1679 –Affordable Health Choices Act and S.
1796 – America’s Healthy Future Act.
- S.
1679 – the Affordable Health Choices
Act was proposed by the Senate’s Committee on Health, Education,
Labor and Pensions and is the result of the lengthy mark-up that took
place this past summer. A notable provision in this piece of legislation
is one that would allow non-profit organizations (like SAA) to act as a
“gateway” for individuals and small business employers to purchase health
coverage.
- S.
1796 – America’s Healthy Future Act
is legislation put forward by the Senate’s Committee on Finance. Much of
the debate regarding this bill took place upon the Senate’s return from
the August recess. Notable provisions in this bill are the creation of
health coverage exchanges similar to the SHOP Act and targeted benefit categories that can
be offered to small group and individuals seeking coverage in this market.
The hope now is that senators will keep the needs of small
businesses a top priority. Eckerly added that doing so, “begins with enacting
responsible insurance market reforms and increasing competition in the small
group and individual private market by creating an exchange modeled on the SHOP Act.” (The SHOP Act was supported by SAA last
Congress.) Eckerly also stated the importance of being able to purchase
national benefit plans across state lines.
In the Coming Weeks…
“Whether
covering themselves, their family or employees, photographers should not have
to choose between paying for health care and staying in the industry,” says
David Trust, SAA’s chief executive officer. “We're going to continue to
watch the situation over the next days and weeks, and if we need to mobilize,
we'll send out a notice to all our members.”
In the meantime, if you’re curious how your congressman
voted on H.R. 3962, click
here for a full vote count by party and member.
If you want to communicate the importance of having access
to affordable, quality health care, visit the Contact
Congress page to e-mail, call or write your representative or senator.
In addition to representing members
on copyright issues, SAA is a strong advocate on small business issues,
primarily relating to health care. Through the Small
Business Coalition for Affordable Healthcare, SAA advocates health care
solutions that meet the needs of small business owners, employees, the
self-employed and their families. In previous congressional sessions, SAA has
supported various health reform bills, in particular those that would provide
trade associations the ability to create insurance pools on behalf of its
members.
