Niagara Leader

Washington, DC – Congresswoman Claudia Tenney (NY-24), a member of the House Ways and Means Committee, announced that her bill, the Small Business Flexibility Act, passed the House of Representatives today as part of the CHOICE Arrangement Act. The underlying bill passed the House by a vote of 220-209.

Nearly 70% of small businesses are not aware of the variety of flexible health insurance coverage opportunities that could be beneficial to them and their employees. To address this gap in knowledge and utilization, Tenney’s bill requires the Treasury Department to notify small businesses of the different flexible health insurance options available to them.

“As a small business owner, I know first-hand the adverse impact Obamacare has had on increasing healthcare costs and making it harder for Main Street businesses to offer their employees competitive options at affordable prices,” said Congresswoman Claudia Tenney. “This legislation mandates that the Treasury Department actively inform small businesses about the range of flexible coverage options at their disposal to provide health insurance coverage more affordably to their employees. With the passage of the CHOICE Arrangement Act, which includes my bill, House Republicans affirmed once again our commitment to expanding consumer choice while enhancing access and affordability.”

Congresswoman Tenney delivered the following remarks during a debate on this legislation, which you can view by clicking the link here.

Mister Speaker,

I stand here today in support of the CHOICE Arrangement Act and my Small Business Flexibility Act.

Over the past ten years, health insurance premiums have gone up 130 percent and deductibles have increased by 125 percent.

The result of this unaffordability is clear. The percentage of small firms providing health insurance has decreased from almost 45% to 31% today. In addition, 75% of businesses with fewer than 200 employees now only offer ONE healthcare plan.

Our small businesses want to provide for their employees. They want to offer competitive benefits packages that promote choice in the marketplace while prioritizing quality and affordability. The problem is, they simply cannot afford the costs.

We should not accept this as the status quo, and thankfully there are commonsense solutions that can help small businesses lower costs and increase choice.

Recent surveys have found that 70% of small businesses are not aware of the flexible opportunities to help them affordably provide health insurance as a benefit to their employees, such as the Small Business Healthcare Tax Credit, CHOICE Arrangements, and Qualified Small Employer Health Reimbursement Arrangements.

My Small Business Flexibility Act will close this awareness gap by requiring the Treasury Department to notify and educate small businesses on these flexible coverage options.

Small employers want to provide these benefits to their employees to not only retain them, but to ensure they have a high quality of life. It is time that we increased awareness of these programs and address any obstacles to their successful and effective implementation. I, therefore, urge you all to support the CHOICE Arrangement Act and Small Business Flexibility Act.

I yield back.

Read the full text of the CHOICE Arrangement Act here.

Original source can be found here.