ARA urges members to oppose health care bill

Washington-The Agricultural Retailers Association (ARA) jumped into the national health care debate on March 19 with an 11th hour plea to members to call their Representatives to urge them to oppose HR 3590, the historic health care legislation that the House ultimately approved on March 21 with a vote of 219-212. “It is critical that all ARA members call their U.S. Representatives today and voice their strong opposition to the Senate-passed healthcare bill H.R. 3590,” ARA said in its alert. “Lawmakers must understand that the rising cost of healthcare is unsustainable in a struggling economy. Agricultural employers do not need reforms that add to the cost of doing business.” ARA cited a U.S. Chamber of Commerce study that said the bill could cost from $1.8 trillion to more than $2.5 trillion in the first ten years of full implementation. “This proposal fails to provide the fundamental healthcare solutions businesses and their employees desperately need,” ARA said. “Pushing through a flawed bill that dumps disproportionate costs on small businesses while providing unfair exemptions to labor unions is simply political pandering disguised as reform.” ARA’s appeal included a phone script for would-be callers. “Everyone keeps saying this is supposed to be a bill that helps businesses like mine,” the script said. “But this bill will actually end up raising our cost of doing business and will make my health insurance even more expensive. This would ultimately eliminate jobs and be the exact opposite of what healthcare reform legislation should accomplish.” ARA’s script urged callers to tell their congressmen that HR 3590 “fails businesses by imposing (1) a new health insurance tax that will increase our insurance costs; and (2) huge costs in the form of new taxes, compliance fees, and government regulation. Because of the politically motivated deals made to secure the support of big labor, the costs to pay for H.R. 3590 fall disproportionately on the already strained backs of America’s agricultural businesses and other small businesses located in rural communities.” Following the March 21 House vote, President Obama signed the bill into law on March 23. On March 25, the Senate voted 56-43 to approve some final fixes to the bill, which the House then confirmed with a final 220-207 vote.