Metrocrest Chamber CEO warns against business-harming senate bill

Texas has the great reputation of being a pro-growth state, where businesses thrive with limited government interference.

For more than 50 years, the Metrocrest Chamber of Commerce, where I serve as President and CEO, has worked with the business owners of residents of Addison, Carrollton and Farmers Branch to create the region's most productive business environment and a vibrant place to live and work. Pro-growth and pro-competition policies align with our mission and have traditionally been a hallmark of Texas lawmaking.

Unfortunately, new legislation in Austin that is being considered by the Texas Senate, Senate Bill 1122 (SB 1122), would threaten our business-friendly environment by imposing costly health care mandates on employers. If passed, this bill will drive up expenses, stifle competition and make it harder for businesses to provide quality benefits to their employees – ultimately making access to affordable health care more challenging for all Texans.

In Texas, nearly 15 million people rely on employer-provided health insurance. This is why the Texas business community has repeatedly come together in support of laws like the Employee Retirement Income Security Act (ERISA), which safeguards high-quality health benefits for millions of Texans. ERISA creates a standardized, simple set of rules for businesses who employ workers across several states, allowing them to offer competitive benefits to all their employees without having to navigate a labyrinth of state regulations. ERISA cuts administrative costs and red tape for Texas employers.

However, SB 1122 calls into question the protections that ERISA affords to Texas businesses and their employees. This misguided legislation would add new regulations to the pharmacy benefits that employers rely on to offer their workers low-cost, high-quality prescription drug coverage.

Protecting pharmacy benefits is critical. They grant Texans access to lower-cost pharmacies and provide convenient services like prescription home delivery. Employers can choose the pharmacy benefit packages that best suit the needs of their workforce and reduce costs for their business. Increased government regulations on pharmacy benefits will drive up prescription drug costs for employers and employees alike.

Despite the proven value of employer-provided pharmacy benefits, legislators still target these services with state-level health care mandates that will significantly increase health care costs for both employers and their employees and will directly interfere with businesses' ability to offer competitive benefits.

Allowing this type of government overreach will make it difficult for the state to attract and retain businesses and employees. It is a recipe for disaster for our state's business community.

While there are many competing priorities during this legislative session, I urge Texas lawmakers to support a pro-business environment by streamlining processes and alleviating the burden on businesses wherever possible — such as cutting mandates and simplifying or reducing taxes and fees. We must remove the hurdles that impede business growth and innovation, not layer on more government health care regulations that make it more difficult for our business community to compete and expand their workforce.

Instead of imposing new health care mandates with bills like SB 1122, elected officials should let Texas businesses do what they do best; innovate, create jobs and support their employees.