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House Democrats’ trample
small business health care bill,
says Condotta
With rhetoric flying this
Legislative Session about making health insurance available and
affordable for small-business owners and their employees,
Rep. Cary Condotta, R-East Wenatchee, said he was disappointed to see House Bill
2572 as amended by the Senate be struck down in the House on a technical
motion made by House Democrats.
“When we return home from Olympia, we can’t say we’ve done anything to
help small businesses afford health insurance,” said Condotta. “House
Bill 2572 came out of the Senate with some of the best provisions I’ve
seen in years aimed at encouraging a private market insurance recovery
in our state. But, apparently, big government solutions are the only
solution House Democrats are interested in.”
House Bill 2572 passed the House and was amended in the Senate to
include more provisions that would create a more attractive health
insurance market. The additional provisions would have helped many small
businesses that otherwise cannot afford to provide insurance now
purchase insurance for their employees. The passage of the bill would
have lead to increased savings year over year for the state as more
small employers provide health insurance for their employees and remove
their dependency on state-sponsored plans.
“More and more small businesses are dropping health insurance coverage
because of the incredibly expensive, mandate-laden plans we have in our
state. As a small-business owner I’ve paid for health coverage for my
employees for 23 years and I can tell you this, we haven’t done anything
this session to reduce the cost of health insurance or, for that matter,
improve the market for health insurance. It’s a real opportunity
wasted,” said Condotta.
Condotta said the bill as it came from the Senate would have allowed for
more choices in health care plans, tax credits for employers who
purchase health care and offer greater access to health savings
accounts.
“This bill would have done a lot of good things that small businesses
desperately need to jump start some competition in our health care
market to drive costs down,” said Condotta. “It’s not enough for the
state to create more government subsidies in the state Basic Health Plan
or to shove a payroll tax on big business for government health care.
Washington needs a multifaceted approach – some government help, some
private market incentives and some tax incentives.”
“Those in charge have disregarded the one element that will drive costs
down - more people in the market buying health insurance,” said
Condotta. “This bill was an excellent chance to truly help small
businesses and their employees afford health insurance. The state broke
the insurance market and this bill would have been the start of a viable
fix and a step in the right direction. What is apparent is that those
who stripped the good amendments out of this bill don’t know what small
businesses want. As I said on the House floor today, they fear what they
don’t understand.”
The Senate provisions
added to House Bill 2572, which passed the Senate 42-5, included:
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The ability for
insurers to craft benefit plans that are not subject to all the
state mandates and requirements, as long as they offer every
category of provider. The bill also allows more rating variation
which will also put more affordable plans into the marketplace. It
does not take away any existing plan in the marketplace.
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The ability for small
businesses to have greater access to health savings accounts plans
with premium differences that will actually mean more money is
available for the employee’s account.
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Subsidies will be
available to low income employees to help them purchase health care
through a small employers health plan or health savings account but
won’t force small employers to switch plans for other employees just
to accommodate the low income employee.
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Any small business who
purchases health insurance for their employees will receive a
deduction of those costs from their B&O tax.
Condotta added that HB
2572 was one piece of a complex puzzle in Washington’s health insurance
market and that if lawmakers are serious about offering more affordable
and accessible health insurance, the state needs to step out of its
big-government box and offer other creative and practical solutions in
the free market.
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For more information, contact:
Bobbi Cussins, Public Information Officer: (360) 786-7252
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