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| Congress Returns with NAHU Priority Legislation in Focus |
Congress is set to come back from a two-week recess and will hold its first ever hearing on Medicare for All on Tuesday. The House Rules Committee will review H.R. 1384, legislation introduced in February that would eliminate private health insurance coverage and implement a government-run plan. Companion legislation was introduced by Senator Bernie Sanders (I-VT) earlier this month. The hearing satisfies a pledge made by House Speaker Nancy Pelosi to hold hearings on the proposal in the rules and budget committees this year, but it remains unclear whether the caucus will be advancing the legislation much further given opposition to the plan among a majority of Congressional Democrats. NAHU is closely monitoring this hearing and is working to shape the debate through our coalition, the Partnership for America’s Health Care Future, on the damaging impact that a Medicare-for-All proposal could have on private-market coverage.
NAHU is also anticipating the introduction of legislation that would provide much-needed relief for employers seeking to comply with the reporting requirements under Section 6055 and 6056 for enforcement of the ACA's individual and employer mandates. NAHU has repeatedly raised concerns with these requirements, particularly their confusing and complicated nature, and have worked with legislators to develop a common-sense solution. Under this proposal, a new voluntary reporting system would be established for employers to report to the IRS information about their health plans, and only employees (and/or their dependents) who access subsidized coverage through the exchanges would need to be reported to the IRS.
Another one of NAHU’s longstanding policy priorities will be re-introduced in the coming weeks, with legislation to restore the 40-hour workweek by changing the definition of a full time employee from 30 hours to 40 hours (or 174 hours a month for full-time equivalents) under the ACA. NAHU believes that the 30-hour workweek requirement is hurting American employees and economic productivity. This legislation would restore the workweek back to 40 hours for employers who are burdened with the extensive tracking of employee hours as well as employees who are seeing their hours slashed and paychecks reduced. While this legislation has stalled in previous sessions of Congress, because a full repeal/replace of the ACA is no longer under consideration with the divided Congress, moderate members from both parties may be more willing to support the bill as a true bipartisan solution to healthcare challenges.
NAHU will be sending an Operation Shout on these bills shortly, and we encourage you to help spread the message of the importance of the legislation by contacting your federal lawmakers and asking them to co-sponsor and vote for these important reforms.
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