FMI Applauds Budget Agreement Provision to Remove Auto-Enroll from Health Care Law
October 28, 2015 – ARLINGTON, VA – Food Marketing Institute (FMI) today commended U.S. lawmakers for including language in the budget agreement that eliminates a burdensome and unnecessary provision related to mandatory auto-enrollment under the Affordable Care Act (ACA).
FMI Senior Vice President of Government and Public Affairs Jennifer Hatcher offered the following statement on the inclusion of the auto-enroll repeal in the budget agreement:
“The Food Marketing Institute applauds the budget agreement decision to repeal the Affordable Care Act’s mandatory auto-enrollment provision. It is nonsensical to automatically enroll an associate in a health care plan that they did not choose. Furthermore, eliminating mandatory auto-enrollment saves money, reduces paperwork and helps our associates by ensuring they are not paying for redundant coverage that they do not need.
“The supermarket industry appreciates the leadership of House Education and Workforce Chairman John Kline (R-MN), Congresswoman Elise Stefanik (R-NY), Congressman Richard Hudson (R-NC), Congressman Phil Roe (R-TN) and Senator Johnny Isakson (R-GA) for striking this burden from the ACA and for managing the issue in a bipartisan fashion.”
FMI is actively engaged with Congress and the Obama Administration to provide flexibility within several employer coverage requirements of the ACA in order to preserve the viability of employer-sponsored coverage for variable-hour workforces. Eliminating mandatory auto enrollment does not reduce individuals’ access or eligibility for health care coverage, but it removes the potential for unwanted dual-enrollment of individuals and unneeded dual premiums paid by both employees and employers.
FMI participates on the Executive Committee of the Employers for Flexibility in Health Care (E-FLEX), a coalition of leading trade associations and businesses in the retail, supermarket, temporary staffing, restaurant, hospitality, construction, and other service-related industries, as well as employer-sponsored health plans insuring millions of Americans.
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