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March 27, 2017

Comprehensive Health Care Reform Stalled, But House Passes Legislation To Make It Easier For Small Businesses To Buy Insurance

The U.S. House of Representatives was supposed to vote last Friday on legislation (H.R. 1628, the American Health Care Act) to repeal key provisions of the 2010 Affordable Care Act, but leaders pulled the bill at the last minute because they lacked the votes to pass it. 

This development likely means that comprehensive health care reform is stalled for now in Washington and that the White House and Congress will move on to efforts to reform the federal tax code. Indeed, after the health care legislation was pulled from the House floor on Friday, President Donald Trump said, “I would say that we will probably start going very, very strongly for the big tax cuts and tax reform … That will be next.” Wondering what MSCI’s priorities are for tax reform? Click here to view our tax reform advocacy principles. 

While the chamber failed to take up legislation to repeal and replace the Affordable Care Act, it did pass a bill (H.R. 1101, the Small Business Health Fairness Act of 2017) that would allow small businesses to band together and pool resources and purchasing power by joining Association Health Plans. The Metals Service Center Institute supports this legislation because it removes barriers to more affordable health insurance for employers. H.R. 1101 passed on a 236 to 175 vote. All Republicans in the chamber voted for the bill, as did four Democrats. Click here to see how your member of Congress voted. 

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