The following Key Vote Alert was issued by the NC Chamber this morning.

Members of the North Carolina House,

As you prepare to take up the override of Governor Cooper’s veto of Senate Bill 382, we want to make you aware of a provision in it that is a major win for small businesses across the state. The legislation contains a change to the current Multiple Employer Welfare Arrangement (MEWA) statute to broaden the type of organization that is eligible to offer a health insurance product to its members to include a statewide chamber of commerce.

This is an incredible step toward the NC Chamber’s years-long efforts to launch a small business health product in North Carolina. Designed to offer health insurance to small businesses with 2 to 50 employees, we are working to serve a substantial market that currently suffers from incredibly high health insurance costs. Our product will fill a need in the small business health insurance market and give business owners the opportunity to grow their business while providing high-quality benefits to their employees.

The legislation includes several guardrails to ensure legitimacy, solvency, and robust coverage and our product will be licensed and regulated by the Department of Insurance. You can learn more here.

We recognize there is a lot in the bill, but we encourage you to vote in support of a veto override so small businesses across the state can access affordable health care. Your NC Chamber, along with 15 other statewide associations, are committed to ensuring Western North Carolina remains a priority in the long term.

Please let me know if you have any questions or want to talk more.

Thank you,
Mark Coggins
Director of Government Affairs