WASHINGTON, DC (January 24, 2019): Today, the Partnership for Employer-Sponsored Coverage called upon all members of the 116th Congress to recognize the important voice employers have in debates about reforming our nation's health care system. Employer-sponsored coverage insures over 181 million American lives and has been the backbone of the U.S. health system for nearly eight decades. Read the coalition letter to Congress below and here.

The Partnership for Employer-Sponsored Coverage (P4ESC) is an advocacy alliance for employers of all sizes and hardworking Americans and their families who rely on employer-sponsored coverage every day. P4ESC, which launched last spring, currently boasts a membership of 16 leading, national employment-based organizations representing businesses of all sizes employing millions of Americans across the nation.

“The majority of Americans receive health coverage through their employer yet lawmakers in Washington often overlook the voice of employers when developing federal health care policies,” said Partnership for Employer-Sponsored Coverage executive director Christine Pollack. “As Congress begins debate on Affordable Care Act fixes, Medicare for All and other health system reforms, P4ESC is committed to working to ensure that employer-sponsored coverage is strengthened and remains a viable, affordable option for decades to come.”

Highlighted in the letter are the coalition’s policy priorities of: preserving the current tax treatment of employer-sponsored coverage; promoting innovations and diversity of plan designs and offerings for employers; providing employers with compliance relief from burdensome regulations; repealing the Affordable Care Act taxes on employer-sponsored coverage; and protecting ERISA.

Recently, P4ESC co-hosted the Price of Good Health daylong policy summit with the Council for Affordable Health Coverage (CAHC) which included addresses from Health and Human Services Secretary Alex Azar, Congresswoman Debbie Dingell (D-MI), co-chair of the Medicare for All Caucus, and Problem Solvers Caucus co-chairs Congressmen Josh Gottheimer (D-NJ) and Tom Reed (R-NY).

The Partnership for Employer-Sponsored Coverage membership is: American Hotel & Lodging Association, American Rental Association, American Staffing Association, Associated Builders and Contractors, Inc., Associated General Contractors of America, Auto Care Association, The Council of Insurance Agents & Brokers, HR Policy Association, International Franchise Association, National Association of Health Underwriters, National Association of Wholesaler-Distributors, National Restaurant Association, National Retail Federation, Retail Industry Leaders Association, Society of American Florists, Society for Human Resource Management

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P4ESC's Letter to Members of Congress:

January 24, 2019

U.S. Senators
Members of the U.S. House of Representatives
The Capitol
Washington, D.C.

Dear Senators and Representatives:

As the 116th Congress begins, we commend you on your service in the U.S. Congress. The Partnership for Employer-Sponsored Coverage is an advocacy alliance of employment-based organizations and trade associations representing businesses of all sizes and the over 181 million American workers and their families who rely on employer-sponsored coverage every day. We are committed to working to ensure that employer-sponsored coverage is strengthened and remains a viable, affordable option for decades to come. We welcome the opportunity to work with you.

Employer-sponsored coverage has been the backbone of our nation’s health system for nearly eight decades. Employers of all sizes contribute vast resources to employees and their families through the employer-sponsored system. Employers have a vested interest in health care quality, value, and system viability. Employers have been on the leading edge of health delivery innovation and modeling for decades.

The Partnership for Employer-Sponsored Coverage looks forward to working with you in a bipartisan manner on reforms to our nation’s health care system to ensure that employer-sponsored coverage is preserved and thrives for generations of hardworking Americans to come. Our public policy principles include:

Preserving the current tax treatment of employer-sponsored coverage;
Promoting innovations and diversity of plan designs and offerings for employees;
Providing employers with compliance relief from burdensome regulations;
Repealing the Affordable Care Act taxes on employer-sponsored coverage; and
Protecting the Employee Retirement Income and Security Act (ERISA).

Benefits offerings and coverage plans in the employer-sponsored system are as diverse as employers themselves. There is no one-size-fits-all employer plan. A larger employer who offers self-insured coverage – which comes with the most financial risk but has the benefit of being tailored for their workforce’s specific needs – is considerably different from a smaller or midsize employer who offers fully-insured coverage – which faces the fiscal pressures of the individual and small group market without the ability to tailor coverage.

The foundation of the employer-sponsored coverage system is rooted in workforce policy and business operations. Employers of all sizes offer coverage for employee recruitment and retention, and the functionality of a business is centered around a productive, thriving, and healthy workforce.

The ability to offer coverage to employees and the capacity to operate a business for its core purpose are not mutually exclusive functions. An employer offer of coverage is not merely a transaction in which an employee fills out paperwork, enrolls in coverage, and receives an insurance card – it is a multifaceted fiscal and operational commitment at the core of any business. Further, as employers are making the decisions to offer coverage and determine which type of coverage to offer their employees, a critical aspect of this deliberation is the administrative compliance costs and complexities associated with coverage.

As a coalition representing businesses of all sizes, the Partnership for Employer-Sponsored Coverage has the unique ability to provide operational input across the full spectrum of the employer system – from the smallest family-owned business to the largest corporation. Employers have a great stake in the development and implementation of health care policies, and we look forward to working with you and your staff in a bipartisan manner throughout 116th Congress.

For specific information about the coalition’s policy priorities, our executive director Christine Pollack can be contacted at cpollack@horizondc.com.

Sincerely,

American Hotel & Lodging Association
American Rental Association
American Staffing Association
Associated Builders and Contractors, Inc.
Associated General Contractors of America
Auto Care Association
The Council of Insurance Agents & Brokers
HR Policy Association
International Franchise Association
National Association of Health Underwriters
National Association of Wholesaler-Distributors
National Restaurant Association
National Retail Federation
Retail Industry Leaders Association
Society of American Florists
Society for Human Resource Management