Cramer: U.S. House Acts to Prevent Health Plan Cancellations

WASHINGTON, D.C. – The U.S. House of Representatives took action today to protect employees of small businesses from health plan cancellations due to Obamacare. The Employee Health Care Protection Act would help fulfill President Obama’s broken promise to Americans, giving people in the group insurance market the opportunity to keep their policies through 2019.

So far, health plan cancellations due to Obamacare have mainly affected those in the individual insurance market. Insurance experts now believe another 50 million workers across the country with employer-sponsored coverage could face plan cancellations or disruptions

“Last fall, the cancelation notices were aimed at individual plans, and this year they are aimed at people who work for small businesses. What’s really important is: what does this mean for the average North Dakota employee of a small business. It means an increase of annual premiums of about 29.1 percent, and a decrease in weekly pay of just under $30, which equates to $1,488 fewer dollars at the end of the year for the average family of a person who works for a small business in North Dakota,” said Cramer.

The legislation would also give small businesses and their employees the option to choose plans even if they are not deemed “compliant” by Obamacare, and ensure people enrolled in these plans would not face a penalty under Obamacare’s individual mandate.