Kilmer Votes Against Bill That Would Reduce Access to Health Care
WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, Representative Derek Kilmer (WA-06) voted against a bill that would affect how many workers access employer-sponsored health care. The legislation considered today by the House of Representatives would adjust the Affordable Care Act’s definition of full-time employees, which is used to determine whether employers are responsible for providing health insurance coverage to their employees. According to the Congressional Budget Office, the legislation would raise the deficit by $74 billion and cause as many as one million Americans to lose their employer-sponsored health insurance. The legislation passed the House of Representatives by a vote of 248-179.
“I wasn’t in Congress when the Affordable Care Act passed. There are parts of the law that make a lot of sense and parts that need fixing,” said Representative Derek Kilmer. “As a guy who worked in economic development for a decade, I think small businesses raise some legitimate concerns about the law as it’s currently constructed, and I want to see some improvements made. So it’s frustrating that the option put in front of me today was a highly partisan bill that would dump a million people off of their health insurance and blow more than a $70 billion hole in the deficit. That’s not responsible. While I couldn’t support today’s bill, I’m going to keep pushing to make the law more workable for small businesses and employees alike.”
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