Statement of Administration Policy: H.R. 2575 - Save American Workers Act

(House Rules)

(Rep. Young, R-Indiana, and 210 cosponsors)

The Administration strongly opposes House passage of H.R. 2575, the Save American Workers Act, because it would significantly increase the deficit and reduce the number of Americans with employer-based health insurance coverage. Rather than attempting once again to repeal the Affordable Care Act, which the House has tried to do over 50 times, it is time for the Congress to stop fighting old political battles and join the President in an agenda focused on providing greater economic opportunity and security for middle class families and all those working to get into the middle class.

This legislation would weaken a provision of the Affordable Care Act that keeps employers from dropping health insurance coverage and shifting the costs to taxpayers. According to the Congressional Budget Office, it would increase the budget deficit by $73.7 billion over the 2015 to 2024 period. Moreover, the proposed change would reduce the number of people receiving employer-based coverage by about one million, while increasing the number of uninsured.

The Affordable Care Act gives people greater control over their own health care. Since October 1, over seven million have signed up for insurance in the Health Insurance Marketplaces. Because of the Affordable Care Act, Americans who have previously been denied coverage due to a pre-existing medical condition now have access to coverage. Additionally, the law helps millions of Americans stay on their parents' plans until age 26, and provides access to free preventive care like cancer screenings that catch illness early on.

While the Administration welcomes ideas to improve the law, H.R. 2575 would undermine it by shifting costs to taxpayers and causing employers either to drop or to not expand health insurance coverage.

If the President were presented with H.R. 2575, he would veto it.