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The Board of Directors of the North
Myrtle Beach Chamber of Commerce unanimously approved the
chamber’s amended Health Care position statement on July 9,
2009, as recommended by the Legislative Committee. The
Legislative Committee met earlier to review existing positions
and to recommend any changes or additions to these positions for
the board’s consideration.
The amended position addresses the
following proposals which congress will soon debate on behalf of
President Obama’s Health Care recommendations:
We oppose:
·
The creation of
employer mandates: Punishing employers who cannot afford to
provide health insurance coverage, including requirements to pay
or play, is not the answer. Employer mandates, by their nature
limit flexibility and innovation – the cornerstones on American
health care.
·
The creation of a
Government-run (Public) plan: A government-run plan would be an
unfair competitor, with the government acting as both a team
owner and the referee. Government programs shift costs to the
private sector. The Lewin Group estimates 130 million people
would move from private to public insurance. This could lead to
a government-controlled single-payer system.
·
The creation of
Minimum Required Coverage Level: Proposing a huge Federal
Employee Health Benefits Program (FEHBP)-like minimum coverage
package will bankrupt employers and workers. Cadillac,
gold-plated coverage like this will not appeal to the young.
The minimum level of coverage should be more akin to a
high-deductible health plan with coverage of preventative
services.
·
Imposing of
additional tax burdens to individuals or businesses: The
implementation of new taxes and fees for businesses and/or
individuals that cannot afford health insurance would be
dramatically counterproductive. Further, the taxation of health
benefits will lead to a reduction in benefits offered by
employers and will lead to higher taxes for many individuals and
businesses.
The legislation under consideration
now would create a government run (public) insurance plan,
create employer mandates on businesses particularly small
business requiring them to provide coverage for all employees,
and major tax increases including imposing an additional
“surtax” on high income earners. All of which the Chamber
opposes. We are eager to support initiatives to reform the
system, however, not at the expense and on the backs of
businesses. The current employer-based system already
voluntarily provides health benefits to more than 160 million
Americans, and overwhelmingly, employees are satisfied with
these benefits and want their employers to continue providing it
to them.
Additionally, last week
Congressional Budget Office (CBO) Director, Douglas Elmendorf,
told the Senate Budget Committee during testimony, that the
health reform measures being proposed would worsen an already
bleak budget outlook, increasing deficit projections and driving
the nation more deeply into debt.
Our Federal Legislative Agenda with
amended Healthcare Position statement is outlined below.
Healthcare
The
costs of healthcare to businesses, families, and individuals at
the state and national levels has become prohibitive and a
detriment to our economy and quality of life. The chamber
encourages comprehensive planning and legislation to ease this
burden and provide relief to our businesses and our citizens.
We
support
-
Legislation allowing the establishment of small business health
plans, also known as Association Health Plans, which would allow
small businesses to pool risk and access coverage without regard
to state mandates
-
Advocate for the adoption of information technologies to
establish electronic medical records, decision support
mechanism, and claim processing
We
oppose:
·
The creation of
Employer Mandates: Punishing employers who cannot afford to
provide health insurance coverage, including requirements to pay
or play, is not the answer. Employer mandates, by their nature
limit flexibility and innovation – the cornerstones on American
health care.
·
The creation of a
Government-run (Public) plan: A government-run plan would be an
unfair competitor, with the government acting as both a team
owner and the referee. Government programs shift costs to the
private sector. The Lewin Group estimates 130 million people
would move from private to public insurance. This could lead to
a government-controlled single-payer system.
·
The creation of
Minimum Required Coverage Level: Proposing a huge Federal
Employee Health Benefits Program (FEHBP)-like minimum coverage
package will bankrupt employers and workers. Cadillac,
gold-plated coverage like this will not appeal to the young.
The minimum level of coverage should be more akin to a
high-deductible health plan with coverage of preventative
services.
·
Imposing of
additional tax burdens to individuals or businesses: The
implementation of new taxes and fees for businesses and / or
individuals that cannot afford health insurance would be
dramatically counterproductive. Further, the taxation of health
benefits will lead to a reduction in benefits offered by
employers and will lead to higher taxes for many individuals and
businesses.
Amended: July 9, 2009
Please let our delegation members
know of your concerns. For additional information and to add
your business’ name to that of many others for Congress’
attention, please consult the following web sites.
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