 |
Iowa
Association of Legislative News
|
 |
May 22, 2007
Health Insurance Pooling Legislation Signed, Planning in Process
Small Business Health Care is Hot: Member Representative Needed on Panel
Chronic Disease Management Session - Bonus to ABI Convention
STAFF:
Mike
Ralston
President
515/235-0562
Government Relations Team:
John
R. Gilliland
Senior Vice President,
Government Relations
515/235-0566
Kellie
Paschke
Vice President,
Government Relations
515/235-0567
Tess
Dickinson
Government Relations Coordinator
515/235-0561
ABI ADVISORY COUNCIL
Resources & Links
ABI
Political Education & Action Center
for
-Issue Alerts
-Write Your Legislator
-ABI Voting Records
Iowa
Prosperity Project
for
-2007 Officials
-Register to Vote
-Issue Education
For
your own FREE
Prosperity Project website, click here.
Upcoming
ABI Events - Mark Your Calendar!
Click Here to
Register
Workers
Comp Seminar
May 23 - Des Moines
May 24 - Bettendorf
ABI
Annual Convention
June 13 to 15 - Okoboji
Workforce
Solutions Tour
July 10 - Waterloo
July 12 - Spencer
July 17 - Atlantic
July 19 - Des Moines
July 26 - Burlington
Creating
a Drug-Free Workplace Solutions Tour
August 7 - Oskaloosa
August 9 - Mason City
August 14 - Sioux City
August 16 - Clarinda
Employee
Drug Testing Compliance
September 27 - Ankeny
ABI
Environmental Conference
October 1 & 2 - Coralville
Manufacturing
and Distributors Conference
October 16 - Coralville
Copyright
© 2007 Association of Business and Industry. All rights reserved. Text,
graphics, and HTML code are protected by U.S. and International Copyright
Laws, and may not be copied, reprinted, published, translated, or otherwise distributed by any means without explicit permission.
Health
Insurance Pooling Legislation Signed,
Planning in Process
Many ABI
members companies have been greatly impacted by the rising cost of
providing heath insurance to their employees.
Small businesses have seen some of the highest increases –
exceeding double digits for the past several years.
A priority for ABI was to find relief for skyrocketing health
insurance premiums. We
worked closely with the insurance industry and the Insurance
Commissioner to craft legislation that could help stabilize these costs.
This year
the legislature passed, and the Governor signed, HF 790 - the bill that
allows associations such as ABI to pool small employers (those with 2-50
employees) for the purpose of purchasing health insurance. While
there are certain requirements that must be met to establish the pool, ABI
will easily meet these requirements. Allowing small
employers to pool their employees will help them achieve certain
administrative costs and economies of scale that, in the end, will help
stabilize health insurance premiums.
HF 790 also allows insurance
companies to provide premium credits or discounts to small
employers for the benefit of employees who participate in
wellness and disease management programs. Such credits and
discounts encourage healthier behaviors and work to reduce the overall
costs of providing health care - while also reducing the cost of health
insurance.
ABI is working with its insurance partner, TrueNorth Companies, regarding developing insurance pooling programs to benefit members. As a part of the due diligence involved in this process, members of the ABI Board and staff will be meeting with four of the major insurance carriers to discuss potential programs on Thursday, May 31.
Small
Business Health Care is Hot: Member Representative Needed on Panel
On the heals ABI’s
sponsored health insurance pooling legislation being passed and signed
into law, (HF790), the
legislature is looking into more ways to make health care more
affordable for small employers. As
part of one the final budget bills passed, HF 909 includes creation of a
Commission on Affordable Heath Care Plans for Small Businesses and
Families. In addition to 10
legislators, the commission will have 13 members public members,
including one (1) small business owner designated by the Iowa
Association of Business and Industry.
The
commission plans to have its first meeting in late June and schedule
additional meetings throughout the summer and fall to complete a report
for the Legislature in early 2008. The
commission is charged with reviewing the following:
- Benefits,
costs, and mandates of covering all Iowans;
- Benefits
and costs of covering all children;
- Uninsured
and underinsured Iowans and government programs; and
- Factors
and trends affecting costs, pooling and wellness initiatives.
Chronic
Disease Management
Bonus to ABI Convention
Register today for the
Iowa Employer Summit on Chronic Disease Management on June 13. The
The
summit will highlight incentives to engage the patient and lower total
healthcare costs. Attend to hear how Iowa Companies are
successfully lowering costs, how employers are investing in health and
wellness, and to hear about the recently-passed Health Insurance Pool
legislation. The summit will be held from 10:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m.
on Wednesday, June 13, and is sponsored by ABI member GlaxoSmithKline.
Register
today for this NO COST
IIPAC
Contributions a Must!!!!
This past
legislative session was anything but pro-active for the business agenda.
Issues such as Right to Work and Employer Directed Medical Care
will continue to be in jeopardy until more business friendly legislators
can be elected!
As a member
of the business community, you know how important it is for ABI to
advance a pro-active agenda to grow
While
contributions to IIPAC have remained consistent over the past 5 years,
other PAC’s have increased. Donations
to union and trial lawyer PAC have nearly DOUBLED!
We need to build the resources to elect more pro-business
candidates next year. But we
need to start TODAY.
Please help
us by donating to IIPAC. Contributing
is easier than ever. The
future of your business, and your bottom line, depend on it!
CLICK
HERE!
This
session, a group of House Democratic legislators was instrumental in
helping to defeat a number of anti-business bills.
IIPAC, along with several other business organizations, will be
hosting an event to thank the following legislators who provided key
leadership this session on important business issues:
Representative McKinley Bailey,
Representative Swati Dandekar,
Representative Geri Huser,
Representative Doris Kelley,
Representative Dolores Mertz, Ottosen
Representative Brian Quirk, New Hampton
ABI members
are strongly encouraged to attend and personally thank these legislators
for their pro-business stance in the face of some very strong
opposition. Please join us to thank them for their efforts!
Thursday,
June 28, 2007
4:30-6:30pm
Embassy Club, 801 Grand
Diplomat Room - 40th Floor
Iowa
Association of Business and Industry
904 Walnut Street, Suite #100
Des Moines, IA 50309
www.iowaabi.org
515-280-8000 / 800-383-4224