Friday, March 26, 2010

Congress Removes Merkley Amendment from Healthcare Reform

On March 25 the final steps were taken to remove the Merkley Amendment from the Healthcare Reform Bill in Congress.

The Merkley Amendment required all construction companies to offer health insurance to their employees if the company employees five or more people. The Merkley Amendment discriminated against construction companies because other businesses were exempt from the health insurance mandate if the company employs fewer than 50 people.

The National Association of Home Builders actively opposed the Merkley amendment and worked throughout the process to have it removed after Senator Jeff Merkley of Oregon added the amendment to the Senate version of the Healthcare Reform Bill.

The Merkley Amendment has now been removed from Healthcare Reform through the reconciliation process, which has been approved by both the House and the Senate and is expected to be signed by President Obama next week.

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