Tulsa Standard

Representative Kevin Hern (OK-01) had a bill pass the House Committee on Ways and Means this afternoon in a 25-18 vote. HR 3799, the CHOICE Arrangement Act, would allow employees to use money from their employer to buy a healthcare plan that works best for them. 

“We all know the high cost of healthcare is a huge burden on employers and their employees,” said Rep. Hern. “The CHOICE Arrangement Act puts employees in the driver’s seat when it comes to picking their health care plan, and let’s their employer financially support their decision. This bill will build on a Trump Administration initiative that provides working Americans more healthcare options to choose from, while relieving employers from the administrative burden of annual renewals and selecting one or two plans for all their workers.”

Ways and Means Chairman Jason Smith said, “With inflation and interest rates continuing to rise over the last two years, families and small businesses are focused on keeping within their budgets and making sure they have the flexibility to respond to future price increases. The Ways and Means Committee has heard from workers and employers across the country that they want more options and flexibility in their health care to budget for the future and protect against rising costs that are hammering working families. Representative Hern’s bill, the CHOICE Act, will provide permanent flexibility and financial certainty for small businesses while allowing them to expand health coverage options that meet the needs of their workers.”

Currently, 87% of employers want to offer coverage without the burden of a group plan and 46% of small business leaders said tax credits for employers offering personal options would be most helpful to facilitating their offering of these options.

Following passage out of the House Committee on Ways and Means, the CHOICE Arrangements Act is headed to the House of Representatives for a full vote, expected later this month. 

Rep. Hern spoke in favor of the bill during debate in Committee, you can watch his remarks HERE.

A one-pager for the CHOICE Arrangements Act can be found HERE and the full bill text is HERE.

Original source can be found here.