Rep. Guthrie Introduces Bill to Protect Small Business Health Insurance, Give Patients More Choice

WASHINGTON, Jan. 25 -- Rep. Brett Guthrie, R-Ky (2nd CD), issued the following news release:

Congressman Brett Guthrie (KY-02) this week introduced the Employee Fairness and Relief Act (H.R.661) to allow insurance companies to continue offering small group market insurance plans as they existed prior to passage of Obamacare, ensuring access to these plan options for small businesses and their employees.

"With the number of our health insurance choices rapidly shrinking, it is important to allow workers at small businesses to have continued access to their pre-Obamacare plans," said Guthrie. "President Obama said 'if you like your plan, you can keep it.' We want to make sure that's true in this case. Permanently grandfathering these insurance plans means more flexibility and greater health care choices for patients."

Without the Employee Fairness and Relief Act, the existing pre-Obamacare small group insurance plans will expire on December 31, 2017. By allowing these plans to continue, small business employees would have more choices between insurance plans instead of being forced into the Obamacare marketplace.

"Obamacare was supposed to help small employers," continued Guthrie. "Instead, it has significantly hurt the many workers who are employed by these small businesses. I was proud to introduce the Employee Fairness and Relief Act to protect the remaining pre-Obamacare plans that are currently available. As we work to repeal and replace Obamacare, it is important to make sure these pre-existing plans stay intact."

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