WASHINGTON — Associated Builders and Contractors (ABC) has urged passage of the association health plan (AHP) legislation being considered by the House Education and Workforce Committee’s Subcommittee on Employer-Employee Relations, chaired by U.S. Rep. Sam Johnson (R-Texas). The Small Business Health Fairness Act of 2003 (H.R. 660) is designed to allow small businesses to join together to purchase better health care plans at lower costs through federally certified AHPs.
“ABC strongly supports the Small Business Health Fairness Act that will regulate AHPs under a single set of federally prescribed rules, rather than a patchwork of inconsistent and costly state rules and regulations,” said Kirk Pickerel, president and CEO of ABC. “We applaud Chairman Sam Johnson, for his principled leadership on this issue, and for his dedication to advocating legislation that will clear the way for America’s small businesses to help insure the millions currently in need of health insurance.