AAMA and Others Demand Congress "Start Over!" as Heath Care Legislation is Debated
December 9, 2009

The American Architectural Manufacturers Association (AAMA) says it is continuing its efforts to defeat the health care reform legislation. AAMA was an early partner in the Start Over! coalition, which now unites with 186 leading employer associations and hundreds of thousands of businesses of all sizes from all 50 states.

"As part of the Start Over! coalition, we are committed to fundamentally changing the health care system by expanding access to coverage for all Americans, lowering costs and improving care without shifting those costs to the private sector," says AAMA's president and chief executive officer Rich Walker. "If this bill passes, we expect it would deeply and negatively affect our members' future, which directly affects their employees' health and welfare."

As of last Wednesday, an agreement was reached to begin the amendment process with consideration of the first four amendments, two Democratic amendments related to preventive care and two Republican amendments related to Medicare cuts. Additional amendments from both sides of the aisle are in the queue for consideration. The Start Over! coalition sees the process as moving slowly and is calling on legislators to "start over and get health care reform right."

To influence the Congressional debate, the Start Over! coalition and the Employers for a Healthy Economy recently launched an advertising campaign. Titled "Crisis," the campaign runs on cable television outlets in nine states. CLICK HERE (http://www.employersforahealthyeconomy.org/).

"The ad urges Senators not to pass legislation that will result in higher health care costs, while families are struggling and our economy slips deeper into debt," describes Jeri G. Kubicki, vice president of human resources policy for the National Association of Manufacturers (NAM), one of AAMA's key partners in the Start Over! coalition.

According to NAM and the coalition's other partners, the new legislation would impact small businesses organized as "S" corporations with a new surtax on wage income, an excise tax on health insurance plans, as well as additional fees that would apply for other specific industries.

Walker also notes that the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act "limits the use of flexible spending accounts, falls short in its lack of any meaningful limits on medical liability and includes a government-run, public option that will further shift costs onto private insurance, raising costs for employers."

"AAMA members are urged to convey their positions on this evolving legislation to their elected representatives," adds Walker.

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