|
U.S.
Sen.
Tim
Scott
gets
first
Senate
bill
passed
Schuyler
Kropf
Post
and
Courier
October
18,
2015
“South
Carolina’s
junior
U.S.
Sen.
Tim
Scott
saw
his
first
piece
of
legislation
become
law
this
month,
a
bipartisan
effort
that
tweaked
existing
Obamacare
regulations
and
helps
small
business
owners
who
faced
employee
insurance
premium
increases
next
year.”
[…]
“The
legislation
was
dubbed
the
Protecting
Affordable
Coverage
for
Employee
Act.
It’s
designed
to
head
off
some
of
the
premium
increases
that
smaller
businesses
were
facing
in
January
as
the
Affordable
Care
Act,
more
commonly
known
as
Obamacare,
takes
hold.
The
bill
addresses
the
definition
of
what
the
size
a
small
business
is
considered.
Previously,
the
health
law
defined
small
businesses
as
any
operation
having
up
to
50
employees.
That
figure
was
scheduled
to
go
up
to
100
workers
beginning
in
January.
Scott,
R-S.C.,
who
sits
on
the
Senate’s
Health
and
Small
Business
and
Finance
committees,
agreed
with
several
business
organizations
that
said
doubling
the
definition
of
what
a
small
business
is
would
increase
employer
health
care
costs
significantly.
For
some,
it
would
have
meant
“owners
will
have
to
make
a
decision”
between
raises,
bonuses
and
even
keeping
people
on
staff,
Scott
said.
The
change
means
companies
can
stave
off
the
premium
increase
in
employee
health
insurance
of
about
18
percent.”
[…]
“S.C.
Chamber
of
Commerce
CEO
Ted
Pitts
said
Scott’s
bill
avoids
higher
health
care
premiums
for
about
900
chamber
members.
“We
applaud
Sen.
Scott
for
his
leadership
on
mitigating
harmful
effects
the
Affordable
Care
Act
could
have
on
small
businesses,”
he
said,
adding
that
chamber
members
see
the
ACA
as
one
of
the
biggest
impediments
to
growth
and
job
creation.”
Read
the
full
article
HERE.
###
Prior
to
passage
of
the
PACE
Act, the
Affordable
Care
Act
called
for
the
definition
of
the
state
based
small
group
markets
to
change
from
50
to
include
employers
with
up
to
100
employees
on
January
1,
2016.
This
change
would
have
required
many
small
and
mid-sized
businesses
to
be
subject
to
different
rating
rules
and
requirements,
with
the
potential
of
increasing
the
health
insurance
premiums
for
small
businesses,
their
employees
and
their
families.
Read
Senator
Scott’s
full
statement
on
PACE
Act
being
signed
into
law
HERE. |