Today, Representative John Curtis (R-UT) released the following statement after introducing the American Healthshare Plans Act. The bill would dramatically expand access to customized and affordable health care for millions of Americans. The bicameral bill is cosponsored by Reps. Jody Arrington (R-TX), Jody Hice (R-GA) and Senator Rand Paul (R-KY) in the Senate.

“Our legislation would especially be a game-changer for Utah’s small business community by ensuring our hard-working business owners, their workforce, and their families have access to affordable health coverage,” said Curtis. “This also gives thousands of Utahns who filed unemployment claims over the past month the ability to obtain health care coverage in the event of them or a family member contracting COVID-19, while also allowing our front line workers, like grocery store clerks or UberEATS drivers, to purchase affordable health care coverage in the event that they contract the virus on the job.”

Statement of Support

Derek B. Miller, President and CEO Salt Lake Chamber: “The Salt Lake Chamber, and Chambers across the country, exist to speak for and support businesses. Making sure our workforce has access to quality health insurance for their employees is one of the most important issues for our membership and is a top priority for the Salt Lake Chamber. The need for organizations like ours to be able to provide and facilitate health insurance to our members, while important in the best circumstances, is even more important in light of our current economic challenges. The American Healthshare Plans Act of 2020 would create a new path for membership organizations to offer health insurance to its members outside of an employment relationship. This would allow us to put together health care plans that can meet the specific needs of our membership, and very importantly, allow our members to maintain stable health insurance as they transition between jobs, are self-employed, and as they establish new businesses and work to mitigate costs. The Salt Lake Chamber is very supportive of the American Healthshare Plans Act of 2020- now more than ever.”

Background

According to the US Department of the Treasury, almost a third of the country is self-employed but only 25 percent of that group is insured. The American Healthshare Plans Act would give these individuals, their employees, and their dependents access to customized and affordable health care coverage by: 

• Creating a new pathway for any membership organization to offer health insurance to its members, across state lines, regardless of an employment relationship
• Allowing for the portability of health insurance between jobs or from job-to-job
• Giving their members more benefit options, while prohibiting rate-setting discrimination based on health status or pre-existing condition

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