Obama signs H.R. 1624, the small-group definition bill

Opponents of H.R. 1624, including Mike Kreidler, the Washington state insurance commissioner, and Rep. Frank Pallone, D-N.J., had argued that state and federal regulators could have used other tools to ease definition-related market disruption; that the PACE Act itself will lead to new uncertainty in some states; and that letting the cut-off stay at 50 employees in some states will deprive employees of midsize employers of important new PPACA protections, such as the requirement that new small-group plans offer benefits comparable to those of a designated benchmark plan.

Janet Trautwein, chief executive officer of the National Association of Health Underwriters (NAHU), put out a statement welcoming the signing of H.R. 1624, and welcoming the possibility that other PPACA-related bills could also become law.

“NAHU looks forward to working further with Congress toward the betterment of America’s health care system through logical and resolute fixes to the ACA,” Trautwein said in the statement.