NFIB Laments President’s Veto of Employer Mandate

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The National Federation of Independent business (NFIB) is disputing President Obama’s claim that the Affordable Care Act represents progress, while lamenting his decision to veto a bill that would have repealed some of the most painful provisions of the act. NFIB noted that the president’s veto “was as predictable as the sunrise, but regrettable nevertheless.”

“All of our research for the past several years as well as our members’ testimony suggests that small business owners are not among the winners under the Affordable Care Act,” said Kevin Kuhlman, NFIB director of public policy. “Their premiums have increased, their options have narrowed, and they face new taxes and penalties that threaten their viability.”

In his veto message Obama said that the measure, which would have repealed the employer mandate, the individual mandate, and some of the taxes that fall hard on small businesses, “would reverse the significant progress
that we have made at improving healthcare in America.”

NFIB counters that the law, which has been in place for six years, shows little evidence it has benefited small businesses in the way originally promised. “The Affordable Care Act fails at its primary goal, which was to make health insurance and medical care more affordable for more Americans,” Kuhlman said. “Of course there are winners. But many more Americans, including small business owners, are paying more for insurance that was already too expensive before the law.”

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