HCRA Proposal Another "Mandate" on NY's Small Businesses
A statement from Pamela Reese Finch, Executive Director of the Employer Alliance for Affordable Health Care
“The Employer Alliance for Affordable Health Care is dismayed by the Medicaid Redesign Team's recommendation to expand the existing 9.63% HCRA surcharge. As we have continually maintained, 'fees' and 'surcharges' like this one are nothing more than a hidden tax on New York's small business community. The result will be higher health insurance premiums for insured New Yorkers and ultimately will force some small businesses to drop coverage.
The proposal to extend the current HCRA surcharge should not be confused as a step toward Medicaid reform. Instead, this measure produces yet another barrier for small businesses looking to obtain basic, affordable health insurance.
We respectfully call upon the Legislature to reject this hidden mandate and focus on solutions that will that will cut costs and improve the efficiency and quality New York’s Medicaid program without punishing those who provide and access employer-based health insurance."
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The Employer Alliance for Affordable Health Care is a coalition of more than 3,400 employers and individuals from across New York, representing more than 200,000 working New Yorkers,
committed to preserving quality affordable health care.
