The House Ways and Means Committee held a hearing on April 14 on proposals to limit tax breaks for employers who provide healthcare for employees, according to Accounting Today.
Here are four takeaways:
1. More than 150 million Americans under the age of 65 now receive their health insurance through their employer.
2. Committee Chairman Kevin Brady (R-Texas) contended that the tax break limits the number of choices available to employees who might want to shop for a healthcare plan that might better fit their needs, and that the tax break may also contribute to higher costs.
3. Rep. Sander Levin (D-Mich.) defended the proposal and said it was another in a long series of attempts to undermine the ACA's expansion of healthcare coverage.
4. The National Retail Federation, a trade group representing retailers, asked the House Ways and Means Committee to reject proposals to cap the exclusion of employer-provided health benefits from federal income tax.