All job creators need a health care system that gives them reasonable levels of predictability and flexibility in order to manage the costs of a job, and that’s especially true for owners of small businesses. In an effort to give our small businesses the health care predictability and flexibility they need at the federal level, the NC Chamber recently joined with 167 aligned organizations, including 47 state and local chambers representing 36 different states, to sign on to a letter in support of the Small Business Healthcare Relief Act (S. 1697/H.R. 2911).

This important piece of federal legislation was introduced in the U.S. House of Representatives last June. If passed by the House and Senate and ratified by the President, the bill would allow small businesses that are not subject to a shared responsibility provision to provide Health Reimbursement Arrangements (HRA’s) to their employees with health coverage. This allowance would give small employers – who often do not have the luxury of human resource departments or benefits specialists – the additional flexibility they need to help their employees with rising medical costs and better manage and predict their own health care costs.

The NC Chamber believes our small businesses comprise a cornerstone of North Carolina’s competitive state economy, and we join the undersigned businesses and national, state and local trade associations in urging federal leaders in both the legislative and executive branches to move promptly to secure this vital pro-jobs legislation.