Small Business Health Insurance Act Gains Momentum

Almost exactly a year ago, in March 2005, we reported that the American Council of Engineering Companies ( ACEC ) was backing the Small Business Health Fairness Act, legislationintroduced in the U.S. Senate by Senator Olympia Snowe (R-Me.). The legislation would allow businesses to pool together across state lines through trade associations to purchase health insurance from a provider, or self-insure in the same manner as that of large employers and labor unions.

This week, ACEC officials reported that the most recent incarnation of the bill has cleared the U.S. Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee (HELP). The full Senate is expected to take up the bill later this spring, and ACEC is making final passage of this legislation a major legislative priority during its upcoming Annual Convention and Legislative Summit in Washington, DC, April 29 through May 3. ( Click here for information about the ACEC Convention.)

Now called the Health Insurance Marketplace Modernization and Affordability Act , the legislation will hopefully help engineering firms tackle the problem of rising health insurance costs. Similar legislation has already passed the House of Representatives.

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