NRA endorses 'SHOP' health care bill

Nation's Restaurant News, May 25, 2009

WASHINGTON -- The National Restaurant Association recently voiced its support for the Small Business Health Options Program, or SHOP, Act, saying the measure would help make health care coverage mere affordable and accessible for small businesses, such as restaurants, and their employees.

The bipartisan measure seeks to reduce health care costs for small businesses and their employees by allowing them to band together in a nationwide or statewide pool to obtain lower premiums. The legislation also would provide business owners with an annual tax credit of up to $1,000 per employee and $2,000 for family coverage, if they pay 60 percent of the premiums.

In addition, the SHOP Act would ban health care status rating to protect businesses from large rate increases because a single employee becomes ill, and would keep prices low by offering a range of private health plans that have to compete with each other for business.

A similar act, introduced in 2008, died when the 110th session of Congress ended.