Statement of Administration Policy: H.R. 3798 - Save American Workers Act of 2018

(House Rules)
(Rep. Walorski, R-IN, and 77 cosponsors)

The Administration supports H.R. 3798, the Save American Workers Act of 2018, which would repeal, delay, or replace several harmful provisions of Obamacare. Protecting American families from the prescriptive requirements and burdensome taxes imposed by Obamacare has been an Administration priority from day one, and this bill would make substantial progress toward fulfilling President Donald J. Trump's promise to the American people. The Administration looks forward to working with the Congress to repeal and replace Obamacare in a fiscally responsible way that protects consumers, expands access to affordable, quality healthcare, and puts patients and doctors at the center of healthcare decisions.

With premiums rising and insurance options dwindling across much of the country, health insurance mandates impose heavy burdens on American families and businesses. Earlier this year, the President signed the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act, landmark tax reform that eliminated tax penalties on individuals for failing to carry health insurance. As yet another positive outcome of this change, H.R. 3798 would end the needless and wasteful requirement that companies send out annual certifications of insurance coverage to their employees.

H.R. 3798 also would continue this progress by delaying the employer mandate, which unfairly penalizes certain companies and costs countless American jobs. The bill would further protect employees by codifying the common understanding that full-time employment is 40 hours per week. The irresponsible and illogical 30-hour threshold set under Obamacare created a costly dilemma for employers faced with skyrocketing health insurance premiums, and caused many Americans to have their hours cut.

In addition, this bill would delay the so-called Cadillac Tax on high-cost health insurance plans. Like several other Obamacare taxes, the Cadillac Tax has been delayed several times with bipartisan support. Finally, H.R. 3798 would repeal Obamacare's excise tax on indoor tanning services, yet another unnecessary and onerous tax unfairly targeting a specific industry and harming American consumers.

The Save American Workers Act of 2018 would protect American jobs and businesses, put money back into the pockets of American taxpayers, and suspend taxes against certain health insurance plans and businesses. If H.R. 3798 were presented to the President in its current form, his advisors would recommend that he sign the bill into law.