Michael Makin Discusses Supreme Court's Ruling on Affordable Care Act
Michael Makin, president and CEO of Printing Industries of America, delivers a message to association members on the Supreme Court's decision to uphold the Affordable Care Act—sometimes called "Obamacare."
Dear Industry Member,
The printing industry has a long, proud tradition of offering excellent benefits, including health care, to its workers. Yesterday the Supreme Court announced a major decision impacting our nation's health insurance marketplace. In a 6-3 decision, the Court upheld the Affordable Care Act—sometimes called "Obamacare."
Click on the Youtube video below to watch Michael Makin discuss the Supreme Court ruling from Capitol Hill:
https://youtu.be/Dy2N8dH9zXM
What does that mean for PIA member companies? It means that regardless of your opinion on the Act, it is clearly the law of the land and your company must plan to live under it for the foreseeable future. PIA will continue to provide compliance assistance as you navigate the law's requirements. But that doesn't mean we can't also fight to make the law more workable for our industry.
To that end, I'm announcing that in light of the Supreme Court's decision, PIA is doubling down on its efforts to FIX key provisions of the law to help make health insurance more affordable and accessible to you and your employees. Today we recommit our efforts to:
- Restore the Affordable Care Act's current definition of a "full-time employee" from 30 hours per week to 40 hours per week. This will help small printers with fewer than 50 full-time employees control their health care costs, while at the same time prevent workers in our industry from experiencing hours and wage cuts as companies grapple with the law's requirements.
- Repeal the HIT Tax—or Health Insurance Tax. The Act assesses a tax on all health insurance companies based on the "net premiums" written—up to $11 billion alone this year. While you might not consider your health insurer a sympathetic figure in this debate, there is no doubt that insurance companies are passing this cost through to their customers. The reality is that this fee shifting is contributing to the higher premiums printers are seeing in their health insurance renewals this year—and will see in the future.
- Rework the Act's employer mandate, a major provision that places heavy regulatory burdens on small printers. PIA is open to supporting changes in the mandate that will increase our member companies' opportunities to provide affordable health coverage for their workers.
The aspiration of as many Americans as possible obtaining health insurance coverage is an important one. It's critical that this complex challenge be met with solutions that encourage PIA member companies to participate in employer-sponsored health care—and not discourage those who voluntarily offer health benefits to be penalized or priced out of the market. PIA stands ready to work with any and every Member of Congress who shares our policy goals.
Sincerely,
Michael Makin
President and CEO
Printing Industries of America
