U.S. Senator Johnny Isakson, R-Ga., applauded the administration’s recent action to allow small employers to form groups across state lines to offer more affordable health insurance to their employees. These association health plans would allow small businesses to offer health care plans similar to those offered by large national companies.
 
“This change is great news for Americans and the small businesses that make up the heart of our economy,” said Isakson. “Throughout my time in the Senate, I have been a strong supporter of association health plans to give small businesses the same health care options and purchasing power that large corporations enjoy. Additionally, this proposed rule would open up the health care marketplace to more choices, instead of forcing small businesses and their employees onto the increasingly expensive Obamacare exchanges. Importantly, this proposal also allows millions of self-employed Americans to have access to these group purchasing pools.”
 
After Obamacare was enacted in 2010, many small businesses were forced to give up the health insurance plans that many of their employees needed and wanted to keep, due to an additional Obama administration regulation that required compliance to remain exempt from the new mandates in the law.
 
On Oct. 12, 2017, President Trump issued an executive order directing the U.S. secretary of labor to consider expanding access to association health plans. On Jan. 4, 2018, the U.S. Department of Labor proposed a rule that would expand the opportunity to offer employment-based health insurance to small businesses and self-employed individuals through small business health plans, also known as association health plans.
 
Last week’s action is a proposed rule that is available online from the Employee Benefits Security Administration and will offer the standard federal 60-day comment period following its publication in the federal register on Jan. 5, 2018.
 
Isakson voted to overturn the Obama administration rule that forced small businesses to give up their “grandfathered” health plans in 2010.