government
4 groups back bill opposing coverage requirement for large employers
NEWS IN BRIEF — Posted Sept. 6, 2010
Sen. Orrin Hatch (R, Utah) claims that support is building for his legislation to kill a section of the health system reform law that requires larger employers to provide health coverage to their workers.
Speaking to the Salt Lake Chamber of Commerce on Aug. 25, Hatch said he had secured the support of four business groups -- the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, the National Federation of Independent Business, the National Assn. of Wholesalers and the National Retail Federation -- for his bill, called the American Job Protection Act.
Hatch said he was the first lawmaker formally to challenge the constitutionality of the reform law's individual health insurance mandate, and Utah was among 13 states that filed the first lawsuit against the statute. A separate bill by Hatch to repeal the individual mandate also has gained the backing of the NFIB and the NRF.
"This law slashes over a half-trillion from Medicare for a new unsustainable entitlement," Hatch said. "It raises taxes on middle-class families and small businesses, and it spends trillions of dollars that we simply don't have. It's a job-killer, plain and simple, and I hope with the support of these key job creators we can move forward with repealing this costly provision."
Note: This item originally appeared at http://www.ama-assn.org/amednews/2010/09/06/gvbf0906.htm.
