American Federation of Teachers Issues Statement on Middle Class Health Benefits Tax Repeal Act

WASHINGTON, July 17 -- The American Federation of Teachers issued the following statement by President Randi Weingarten in support of the Middle Class Health Benefits Tax Repeal Act (H.R.748), which gets rid of a tax included in the Affordable Care Act:

"Passage of H.R. 748, the Middle Class Health Benefits Tax Repeal Act, is a victory for all of us who understand that access to affordable high-quality healthcare is a basic human right that should not be turned into a commodity.

"By repealing the 40 percent excise tax on high-quality healthcare plans, lawmakers have ensured middle-class Americans will not be penalized for having worked for, bargained and earned comprehensive healthcare coverage.

"Some employers have used the threat of this tax to shift an ever increasing share of healthcare costs to employees. But the goal of healthcare policy should be to protect working families, not hurt them with taxes on coverage that shifts exorbitant insurance costs to workers, depletes paychecks, increases out-of-pocket costs, and forces some into bankruptcy.

"The excise tax is bad policy for American workers, and we are grateful that Rep. Joe Courtney (D-Conn.) and a strong bipartisan majority of House members have voted to repeal this tax. We hope Senate Republican Leader Mitch McConnell follows suit and brings the bipartisan Senate version of the bill up for a vote as soon as possible."

The AFT represents 1.7 million pre-K through 12th-grade teachers; paraprofessionals and other school-related personnel; higher education faculty and professional staff; federal, state and local government employees; nurses and healthcare workers; and early childhood educators.