House Passes AGC-Supported Bills to Delay Individual and Employer Mandates

On July 17, the U.S. House passed legislation on delaying the employer and individual mandates of the 2010 healthcare law, the Affordable Care Act (ACA). The renewed attention to the ACA by the House is a direct result of the administration’s announcement on July 2 of its transition relief from reporting requirements and the transition relief from the penalty or “shared responsibility payments” for employers until 2015. AGC supported H.R. 2667, the Authority for Mandate Delay Act, because it codifies the one-year delay of penalties and reporting requirements and provides employers desperately needed certainty on the employer mandate. The second bill, H.R. 2668, the Fairness for American Families Act, delays the individual coverage requirement included in the ACA for one year. AGC supported the act because it will provide relief to individuals who are struggling to keep up with the complexities of the mandate and the new complexity of exchanges; the imposition of penalties based on annual household income; and the availability of acceptable employer-provided health insurance that meets the “minimum value” and ”affordability” requirements of ACA. AGC sent a letter in support of the two bills and also joined other employers groups in separate coalition letters that all can be viewed on the AGC website.  While the two bills passed this week did receive bipartisan support, it remains unlikely that the Senate would follow suit, having received veto threats from the president should both bills ultimately pass the Senate. AGC will continue work to  make  implementation less costly and less complex, while providing acceptable options for employers by working with legislators and regulators. For more information, please contact Jim Young at (202) 547-0133 or youngj@agc.org.