As the presidential frontrunner\’s wrangle for the few remaining delegates still up for grabs, more interesting than who will get the nomination from their respective party is who will each nominee choose for their VP running mate. The one with the most shock value, at least on a local level, is the Hillary Clinton and Mark Cuban ticket (yes, that Mark Cuban). Cuban has expressed his interest in being Hillary\’s VP, provided she is willing to move off of her far left platform to a more centered political position. It should be mentioned that last year Cuban also said he was open to the idea when ask if he would consider being Trump\’s running mate. This no doubt will be one of the most interesting, and certainly most important elections in the history of our country.
There have been several proposals in congress recently aimed at revamping our health care system. Most notably is a bill unveiled by Rep. Pete Sessions (R-TX) and Bill Cassidy (R-LA) that would be an alternative to the ACA. The proposal falls short of a full repeal but would eliminate many central aspects of the ACA including the individual and employer mandates. At the heart of the plan is a tax credit ($2500 per adult and $1500 per child) that any citizen would be eligible for to use to purchase health insurance. NAHU feels this would undermine the employer group market because of the elimination, or cap, it would place on the employer tax deduction. Without the tax favored status employer group plans enjoy, many employers may choose to simply discontinue offering group coverage to their employees. Please be watching for an Operation Shout from NAHU in the days ahead.
Dale Mason
Legislative Chair