WASHINGTON (June 23, 2016) — House Republicans' proposed alternative to the Affordable Care Act (ACA) is promising but doesn't give U.S. employers everything they need, the National Retail Federation (NRF) said.
The NRF likes the GOP's suggested repeals of the employer mandate and the 30-hour-a-week definition of full-time employment contained in the ACA, said Neil Trautwein, NRF vice president for health care policy, in a June 22 press release.
However, the NRF is greatly concerned by the GOP proposal to cap employee exclusion from taxable income for employee-provided health benefits, according to Mr. Trautwein.
“Retailers agree with the (House Republican) leadership's vision of a competition-driven private health care market,” he said. “However, employer-based health benefits are the source of coverage for 175 million Americans, and care must be taken to preserve this foundation.
“In a post-ACA environment without mandatory individual participation, employees will become even more resistant to increases in their share of the cost of employee-sponsored benefits,” Mr. Trautwein said. “Younger, healthier employees may choose to drop their coverage altogether rather than pay more taxes.”