Amendment to Bill Would Permit Association Health Plans
House Republicans have drafted a minimum wage bill that includes a provision to allow small businesses to form association health plans across state lines, CongressDaily reports (Johnson, CongressDaily, 1/9). The provision would allow businesses with fewer than 100 employees to form the association health plans.
AHPs would not have to meet state benefits requirements (Rogers, Wall Street Journal, 1/10).
House Republicans maintain that AHPs would "help small businesses that would be affected by a wage hike," CongressDaily reports.
According to CongressDaily, some "senators have discussed offering a small business health care bill as an amendment" to minimum wage legislation, but the "move probably would not attract enough Democrats to pass.
Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee ranking member Mike Enzi (R-Wyo.) said that the Senate likely will not consider AHPs as part of the debate over a minimum wage bill (CongressDaily, 1/9).