News Item

America’s Small Businesses Applaud Legislation to Suspend the HIT for 2020

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Representatives Noem, Sinema, Walorski & Bera Call for Delay of Health Insurance Tax

 Washington, D.C. – The Stop The HIT Coalition today applauded the introduction of the Health Insurance Premium Reduction Act (H.R. 5963), legislation to suspend the Health Insurance Tax (HIT) for 2020 and help lower health insurance premiums for small businesses and hard working families.

“As we look ahead, small business owners and their employees need stability and predictability when it comes to their health care costs. Providing relief from the HIT in 2020 would ensure millions of Americans continue to receive much-needed cost-savings for their health care dollars,” said Elena Tompkins, Executive Director of the Stop The HIT Coalition. “By introducing this legislation Rep. Kristi Noem (R-SD), Rep. Kyrsten Sinema (D-AZ), Rep. Jackie Walorski (R-IN) and Rep. Ami Bera (D-CA) are truly standing with America’s small businesses, and we applaud their bipartisan work to address harm caused by the HIT.”

As a regressive tax, the HIT on small businesses continues to increase year over year, making it all the more damaging to those who need relief the most. “By extending HIT relief into 2020, Congress would save American families more than $570 on average in the small group market,” said Tompkins. “That’s a meaningful difference for small business owners and their employees.”

 The legislation introduced by Representatives Noem, Sinema, Walorski and Bera would extend the suspension of the Health Insurance Tax for 2020 – currently the tax will be suspended next year. This needed delay would help provide stability to small business owners and middle-income families so they can continue health care coverage.

According to a 2017 Oliver Wyman study, small business employees and their families could see lower premiums and cost savings of $570 on average in 2020 if delay is in place. Millions of hard-working Americans who need relief from exorbitant health care costs are urging Congress to take immediate and urgent action to address this harmful tax once and for all.

-30-

Media Contactedixon@reservoircg.com

About Stop The HIT: The Stop The HIT Coalition represents the nation’s small business owners, their employees and the self-employed who are actively working to repeal the Health Insurance Tax. Since the Coalition’s formation in 2011, it has grown to include more than 35 national organizations, representing millions of small business owners across the country.

Additional information may be found at http://www.stopthehit.com/ | Twitter: @StopTheHIT | YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/user/StopTheHIT | Blog: http://www.stopthehit.com/blog | Facebookhttps://www.facebook.com/StopTheHIT.