Delnicki Fighting to Make Health Insurance More Affordable
Key Takeaways
- Delnicki champions HB 5378 to let small employers pool risk through trade associations.
- Bill aims to expand plan options and stable pricing for small-business health coverage.
- Association plans strengthen small employers’ hiring and retention power.
HARTFORD – State Representative Tom Delnicki (R–South Windsor), a member of the Insurance and Real Estate Committee, welcomed the committee’s passage of legislation that would allow small businesses to pool their risk and purchase health insurance through a trade association or local chamber of commerce—an approach aimed at making employer-provided healthcare more affordable for workers.
House Bill 5378 gives small businesses greater bargaining power, more stable pricing, and access to a broader range of plan options that better fit the needs of their employees.
“Small businesses are the backbone of communities like South Windsor, but many of them are struggling under the rising cost of health insurance,” said Delnicki. “This proposal gives them the ability to band together through their chambers of commerce or trade groups to get the kind of purchasing power larger companies already have. That means more affordable coverage for employees and a better chance for our local businesses to keep offering good benefits.”
According to the Connecticut Business and Industry Association, Connecticut employers are increasingly being forced to choose between raising prices, cutting staff, reducing benefits, or dropping health coverage entirely because of rising insurance costs.
During testimony before the committee, it was also revealed that employees increasingly view health coverage as a deciding factor in whether to stay with or leave a job. Supporters of the proposal say that by permitting these association health plans; small employers will have a better chance to compete with larger companies when hiring and retaining workers.
“For a lot of small employers in South Windsor and across Connecticut, offering health insurance is one of the biggest challenges they face,” Delnicki added. “Giving them more flexibility and leverage in the marketplace will help keep small businesses strong and make sure their employees have access to quality, affordable coverage.”
The bill now heads to the House of Representatives for debate and vote.