Jan 7, 2015:
In this, the first week of the 114th U.S. Congress, the House of Representatives introduced H.R.30 - Save American Workers Act of 2015.
The bill raises the minimum number of employee work hours from 30 per week to 40 per week for purposes of calculating employer penalties under the Patent Protection and Affordable Care Act. As it stands, employers must provide health care to employees who work at least 30 hours per week or incur a penalty.
According to the CBO (Congressional Budget Office) and the JCT (Joint Committee on Taxation) cost estimate, the bill would:
- Reduce the number of people receiving employment-based coverage by about 1 million people
- Increase the number of people obtaining coverage through Medicaid, the Children’s Health Insurance Program (CHIP), or health insurance exchanges by between 500,000 and 1 million people
- Increase the number of uninsured by less than 500,000 people
- increase budget deficits by $53.2 billion over the 2015-2025 period
To view the CBO cost estimate click here.
President Obama opposes the bill, and a Statement of Administration Policy issued today states "While the Administration welcomes ideas to improve the law, H.R.
30 would shift costs to taxpayers, put workers’ hours at risk, and disrupt health insurance coverage.". It also states the President would veto the bill if it were presented to him.
Source:
(January 7, 2015). "H.R. 30, Save American Workers Act of 2015". Congressional Budget Office. Retrieved 2015-01-07.
(January 7, 2015). "Statement of Administration Policy | H.R. 30 - Save American Workers Act of 2015". whitehouse.gov. Retrieved 2015-01-07.
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