ABC SPELLS OUT OPPOSITION TO HOUSE DEMOCRATIC HEALTH CARE BILL (11/04/2009)
Contact: Gail Raiman, (703) 812-2073                                   For Immediate Release         
             Gerry Fritz, (703) 812-2062                                     November 4, 2009  

Washington, D.C. – Associated Builders and Contractors’ (ABC) President and CEO Kirk Pickerel today sent a letter to members of the U.S. House of Representatives outlining the association’s opposition to a proposed Democratic bill to reform the nation’s health care system. In the letter, Pickerel expressed “grave concerns” with the Affordable Health Care for America Act (H.R. 3962) because the legislation fails to provide employers and employees with practical or affordable health care solutions. The letter states that ABC will consider final passage of the legislation a key vote for its 111th congressional scorecard.  

“ABC strongly opposes legislative proposals that seek to impose health care coverage mandates,” said Pickerel. “A mandated level of coverage would directly result in premium increases making insurance more expensive for both employers and employees.  

“In addition, we oppose a public option that will result in higher premiums and higher taxes,” said Pickerel. “Our members do not want to replace the health care they have with something inferior that costs trillions of dollars in taxes and debt, and that will result in less competition and less choice.”  

“To truly reform the health care system, Congress must explore every means available to help reduce the cost on the American public, including medical malpractice tort reform and the inclusion of Small Business Health Plans to allow workers in small businesses and the self-employed to join together to obtain the same economies of scale, purchasing clout, and administrative efficiencies from which employees of large employers and union-sponsored plans currently benefit,” said Pickerel.  

“ABC believes that health care is best administered on free-market principles and cannot support a government takeover of our health care system,” said Pickerel. In the letter, Pickerel said that ABC is looking forward to working with members of Congress on health care legislation that best fits those principles.   

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Associated Builders and Contractors (ABC) is a national association with 79 chapters representing 25,000 merit shop construction and construction-related firms with two million employees. Visit us at www.abc.org.

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