ERIC Teams With Business Groups to Ask Congress to Protect Employer-Sponsored Health Care

WASHINGTON, Aug. 25 -- The ERISA Industry Committee issued the following news release:

The ERISA Industry Committee (ERIC), along with a robust group of other trade associations representing employers, sent a letter to members of Congress expressing support for legislation that continues funding for the cost-sharing reduction (CSR) payments under the Affordable Care Act (ACA), but also asking that the 178 million Americans who receive health insurance through their employer be provided relief from the ACA.

ERIC, the only national association that advocates exclusively for large employers on health, retirement, and compensation public policies at the federal, state, and local levels, has a strong interest in making sure its members can continue to provide health insurance benefits to their workforce without being forced to increase costs and cut back on coverage.

The letter offers policy recommendations that will help stabilize the individual market and ensure the future of affordable employer-provided health benefits. Those recommendations, include:

* Funding CSR payments to improve affordability in the individual market

* Repealing the 40 percent "Cadillac Tax" on employer-sponsored health plans and refrain from imposing any new taxes on employee health care benefits

* Repealing the health insurance tax (the "HIT") on fully insured health plans, which a recent Oliver Wyman study found will cost Americans $22 billion, next year alone

* Enabling employers to innovate with Health Savings Accounts (HSAs), including eliminating the minimum deductible requirement for secondary preventive services, and other HSA improvements

* Protecting the Employee Retirement Income Security Act (ERISA) from overreaching and disruptive state laws.

"The CSR payments that go to insurers to subsidize costs for some of the 11 million Americans enrolled in health exchanges are important and should be paid," said James Gelfand, Senior Vice President, ERIC. "But there are 178 million people who get health insurance through an employer, and they need relief too - from the taxes and mandates in the ACA. We should also take this opportunity to improve Health Savings Accounts."

Click here (http://www.eric.org/uploads/doc/resources/Joint%20CSR%20Letter.pdf) to read the letter in its entirety and for a complete list of participating organizations.