“Read the testimony provided by NCB Chairman Martin G. Reiser to the U.S. House of Representatives Energy and Commerce Committee, Health Subcommittee on Thursday, June 25, 2009, during which he discussed proposals to reform the U.S. health care system.  Through testimony and a letter to the President, NCB expressed concern about any provision that would make health care more costly for employees and employers, destabilize our employer-based system of health care coverage, or restrict the flexibility of employers to provide innovative health plans that meet the needs of their employees."  VIEW>

Read the testimony provided by NCB to the U.S. House of Representatives’ Committee on Ways and Means to demonstrate the importance of preserving and strengthening the Employee Retirement Income Security Act (ERISA). Through testimony and a letter to the President, NCB encouraged Congress to build on the success of the current employer-based health care system, reform the insurance market, and address the cost shifting from inadequate payment for public programs.  VIEW>

As the providers of health benefits to more than 170 million Americans, employers have a direct and real stake in the outcome of health reform efforts. Since 1999, employment-based health insurance premiums have increased 120 percent. Failure to improve the U.S. health care system means rising health care costs will threaten the viability of U.S. businesses of all sizes and put millions of American workers at risk.  VIEW>

"The NCB strongly disagrees with the recent decision by the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals to deny review of an earlier 3-judge ruling on whether San Francisco's health care ordinance is preempted by the Employee Retirement Income Security Act (ERISA)," said Martin Reiser, chairman of the National Coalition on Benefits (NCB).  VIEW>

The National Coalition on Benefits issued a legal analysis of the September 30 ruling by the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 9th Circuit, which upheld the employer spending requirements of a San Francisco health care ordinance, holding that the requirements are not preempted by ERISA. On Tuesday, October 21 the Golden Gate Restaurant Association filed petition for rehearing en banc (full court) to the 9th Circuit Court of Appeals. A number of National Coalition on Benefits members have filed briefs in support of the Golden Gate Restaurant Association (GGRA) petition. VIEW>