Yesterday, the House of Representatives passed a healthcare policy to help businesses and workers, extend coverage to hundreds of thousands of previously uninsured, and improve the Obamacare individual market. This policy was part of a broader legislative package aimed at easing employers’ ability to offer health coverage and helping employees at those companies obtain coverage.
Every Republican in the House supported this legislation, while no Democrats did. Still, there are several reasons lawmakers ought to make this a bipartisan priority and celebrate the bill’s passage.
Specifically, a central component of the CHOICE Arrangement Act would codify a Trump administration rule that gives employers another way to offer health coverage to their employees. This rule created individual coverage health reimbursement arrangements. Using an ICHRA, an employer provides tax-free contributions that employees can use to buy an individual market health insurance plan that works best for them and their families.
ICHRAs build off the Qualified Small Employer Health Reimbursement Arrangements signed into law by former President Barack Obama. ICHRAs address several QSEHRA limitations, such as only being available to small employers and limiting contribution amounts. As a testament to their bipartisan appeal, the Biden administration has not even suggested rolling back the ICHRA rule.
