ALLIANCE TO FIGHT THE 40 APPLAUDS SENATORS HELLER AND HEINRICH FOR INTRODUCING BIPARTISAN SENATE BILL TO REPEAL THE CADILLAC TAX

ALLIANCE TO FIGHT THE 40 APPLAUDS SENATORS HELLER AND HEINRICH

FOR INTRODUCING BIPARTISAN SENATE BILL TO REPEAL THE CADILLAC TAX

Washington— Today, the Alliance to Fight the 40, applauded Sen. Dean Heller (R-NV) and Sen. Martin Heinrich (D-NM) for introducing the “Middle Class Health Benefits Tax Repeal Act of 2015,’’ which would repeal the 40% tax on health benefits. The Alliance to Fight the 40 is a broad-based and diverse coalition of employer and employee groups working to repeal the so-called “Cadillac Tax.”

“We would like to thank Sen. Heller and Sen. Heinrich for taking steps to help protect the more than 150 million American workers, families and retirees who rely on employer-sponsored health benefits,” said Kate Hull, Executive Director of the Corporate Healthcare Coalition. “This bipartisan legislation to repeal the Cadillac Tax will ensure that hard working Americans who like their health insurance can keep it. We urge the Senate to take action on it as quickly as possible.” 

“Repealing the 40 percent tax, thereby preserving high-quality employer-sponsored health coverage, should and would be a bipartisan, bicameral success story. We urge Senators on both sides of the aisle to support the Middle Class Health Benefits Tax Repeal Act,” said American Benefits Council President James A. Klein.

"We commend Senators Heller and Heinrich for their leadership in protecting employer-sponsored health plans that help counties attract and retain quality employees," said National Association of Counties President Sallie Clark. "The excise tax would not only hinder our ability to offer competitive health benefits, but it would also place additional burdens on taxpayers and impact county budgets."

“The bipartisan Heller-Heinrich Senate repeal bill brings us one step closer to addressing the harmful and unfair impacts of the 40 percent health benefits tax on America's middle class,” said Terry O'Sullivan, General President of the Laborers' International Union of North America (LIUNA). "We commend the Senators' leadership and look forward to working with them and the rest of the Congress to ensure that workers' across the country will be able to keep their healthcare and not have to pay this regressive tax."

The 40% tax applies to plans sponsored by both private sector and public sector employers, non-profit organizations and even self-employed individuals. The tax penalizes employers that have employees with greater health care needs, workforces with higher numbers of older workers and employers based in higher cost areas.

The Alliance to Fight the 40 is a broad based coalition comprised of public and private sector employer organizations, unions, health care companies, businesses and other stakeholders that support employer-sponsored health coverage. This coverage is the backbone of our health care system and protects over 150 million Americans across the United States. The Alliance seeks to repeal the 40% tax on employee health benefits to ensure that employer-sponsored coverage remains an effective and affordable option for working Americans and their families.

For more information on the 40% Tax on Health Benefits, visit our website at fightthe40.com or follow us on Twitter @Fightthe40.

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