Congress is currently considering sweeping legislation that will alter access and payment for health care. While legislation is urgently needed to control the growth of health care costs, the bills reported by Senate and House Committees to date further increase health care spending and create new taxes on employers. The Maryland Chamber of Commerce urges you to contact your Senators and Representative and urge them to oppose the flawed health care proposals in their current form.

The Maryland Chamber supports health care reforms that would control costs, expand coverage and improve quality care. Health care reform legislation can accomplish these goals by including measures to address medical liability reform, reduce unnecessary medical tests and procedures, enhance wellness programs and preventive medicine, and require individuals to purchase health insurance.

Unfortunately, the proposals under consideration include all of the usual job-killing employer mandates that you have seen in recent state legislation - and more, including: pay or play, payroll taxes on employers, minimum employer subsidy levels for coverage, “free-rider” penalties, increased grounds for lawsuits against health care providers and employers for adverse plan decisions, and a “public plan” option that will shift costs to private plans.

Learn more and follow the health care debate on our Chamber Action Network website here. In addition, the National Retail Federation is maintaining an outstanding comparison of the various proposals. You can view it on their website here.

Please contact your lawmakers and encourage them to oppose the flawed health care proposals in their current form. To take action, please click here.

If you have any additional questions, contact Ron Wineholt at rwineholt@mdchamber.org.