[Congressional Record Volume 159, Number 101 (Tuesday, July 16, 2013)]
[House]
[Page H4504]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                    AUTHORITY FOR MANDATE DELAY ACT

  (Mr. THOMPSON of Pennsylvania asked and was given permission to 
address the House for 1 minute and to revise and extend his remarks.)
  Mr. THOMPSON of Pennsylvania. Mr. Speaker, this week, the House will 
debate H.R. 2667, the Authority for Mandate Delay Act. This bill will 
delay enforcement of the ObamaCare mandate--employers with 50 full-time 
employees who do not offer government-approved coverage must pay a 
$2,000 fine annually for an employee. On July 2, the administration 
announced a delay. And while their authority to unilaterally change the 
law is questionable, the mandate remains a problem.
  Earlier today, an employer in Pennsylvania told me that in order to 
address compliance costs, the employer would opt to close 1 day a week. 
This is not rhetoric.
  In May of 2012, 71 Fortune 100 companies responded to a House Ways 
and Means survey. They estimated savings up to $28.6 billion in 2014 by 
eliminating coverage for their 5.9 million employees, paying the $2,000 
annual fine. This would impact more than 10.2 million employees and 
dependents.
  It appears that the administration has begun to understand that the 
employer mandate provides a perverse incentive for companies to drop 
their employees from health plans that are otherwise working.
  I urge my colleagues to support H.R. 2667.

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