MEWA Association of America forms to advocate for MEWAs, the solution to the USA’s healthcare crisis

Aliso Viejo, CA (PRWEB) May 22, 2017

We are pleased to announce the formation of the MEWA Association of America (MAA).

MAA was formed to support the formation of Multiple Employer Welfare Arrangements (MEWAs) and to help maintain existing MEWAs. MAA also advocates for MEWAs being allowed to cross state lines, where appropriate.

The Employee Retirement Income Security Act (ERISA) allows associations to band together small to medium-sized businesses, and their employees, into one large self-insured medical plan, which is backed by reinsurance. This allows small businesses to obtain the same pricing as larger businesses, which is often 20 to 40% less. MAA supports the self-insured MEWAs, which currently number over 175, with tens of thousands of participating small businesses.

Currently, MEWAs are dually regulated by each state's Department of Insurance and the Department of Labor (DOL). This makes multi-state expansion almost impossible, as each state has its own requirements and some do not even allow new MEWAs.

The Trump administration, with some minor regulatory changes under ERISA via the DOL, can make the DOL the sole regulator of MEWAs.

Our Huffington Post article details how President Trump can lower small business medical insurance by 20% or more today, without Congress.

William Dyer, Vice President and Trustee of MAA said, "If MEWAs were regulated by the DOL and allowed to expand nationally, then – in states where there are currently only one or two insurance options – there could be dozens of MEWAs available for small businesses to join, become part of a large self-insured pool, and save money."

"We formed MAA to help MEWAs come together and share best practices," explained Dyer. "In many states, there are often less than six MEWAs. We formed MAA to help strengthen MEWAs, as they are a vital solution to the healthcare crisis in America."

For more information, read our article on the Huffington Post ("President Trump Can Lower Small Business Medical Insurance by 20% or More Today without Congress") or visit our website.

Read the full story at http://www.prweb.com/releases/2017/05/prweb14348621.htm