By Kevin Mayeux, CAE

On Monday, the House sided with NAIFA in its vote to amend the Affordable Care Act’s definition of the small group market, and provide a role for the states in addressing this issue.

Small businesses often rely on NAIFA members to advise them on appropriate health insurance and employee benefits coverage for their employees. H.R. 1624, the Protecting Affordable Coverage for Employees Act, will ensure that small group markets remain defined as 1-50 employees rather than change to 1-100 employees on Jan. 1, 2016.

Sponsored by Reps. Brett Guthrie and Tony Cardenas, this bipartisan modification to the ACA will help NAIFA members continue to serve their small employer clients and avoid plan disruption for employers with 51-100 employees. Without a modification, employers with 51-100 employees will not be able to keep their current health care plans or purchase or renew plans that do not conform to the new regulations.

This is just one modification to the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (ACA) that Congress is evaluating. NAIFA supports a number of targeted revisions to ensure implementation continues to provide access to affordable healthcare in a sustainable competitive insurance market, without jeopardizing the high quality of care and service expected by consumers.

NAIFA member and Government Relations Committee Chair Hyatt Erstad, who specializes in employer sponsored benefit programs, writes often about the changing world of employee benefits. In this post, he provides a summary of the proposed Legislation.

NAIFA will continue to advocate for our members by working with Congress to place meaningful reforms concerning the ACA that protect our members’ business models while upholding their ability to serve clients in the health insurance arena. This development is yet another positive example of how NAIFA has the back of every insurance and financial advisor with policy makers in the nation’s capitol.