Unnecessary health insurance forms clogging your mailbox? Congress has a plan to stop it [The Sacramento Bee]
Tired of getting some form in the mail from
The “Paperwork Burden Reduction Act” is aimed at stopping unnecessary mailings, which now go to an estimated 154 million people.
The measure, passed easily by the House, would make the health care form available only to those who request it. The
Not only is the bill aimed at reducing the amount of paper that comes into people’s homes and businesses, but it’s the rare chance for a bitterly divided
“The one thing we can all agree on is that we need to reduce unnecessary burdens on taxpayers and small businesses,” said Rep.
The issue involves forms the federal government has required employers to mail to employees detailing their health care coverage each year.
Not only is the paper an anomaly in this digital age, when the
Form without function?
The form was designed to show compliance with the Obamacare law that mandated that most people get health insurance coverage or pay a fine. But the mandate was eliminated in 2019.
Still, most taxpayers have been receiving in the mail a form that not only details their health coverage, but also helps establish whether they’re eligible for a tax credit on the premiums they pay
The credit is available to some people who do not use employer-provided coverage, finding it unaffordable. They can then buy other policies and then seek a tax credit on their return.
The only serious questions about the legislation came from Rep.
“These forms do not sufficiently or clearly describe whether an employer’s health insurance offer is affordable, and particularly important for low-income workers, whether they can access potentially more affordable subsidized marketplace coverage,” Neal said.
If people don’t understand their options, he said, “they may incorrectly choose coverage that has higher out-of-pocket costs.”
The bill, though, won House approval by voice vote, as it fills both political and practical needs.
The political benefit is that lawmakers can boast they helped cut red tape.
“Not only are small businesses struggling because of high prices, but
If people need the forms, said Panetta, they can still request them “rather than mandating it and wasting time, wasting money and wasting paper.”
The bill also allows
“Now more than ever, Americans fill out their tax returns online,” said Smith. “There is no reason American workers should not be able to access this health insurance tax form online as well.”.
©2023 The Sacramento Bee. Visit sacbee.com. Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.
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