ATR Supports S. 1488, the “Fairness for American Families Act”

ATR is proud to support S. 1488, a bill which would delay Obamacare's individual and employer mandates to purchase health insurance.

On July 2, 2013, the Obama Administration announced a one-year delay in the Obamacare employer mandate.  Changing any statute's effective date is in the purview of the U.S. Congress, not the Executive Branch.  While it is highly questionable whether the Obama Administration has the legal authority to delay the employer mandate, their admission that the Obamacare law is unworkable is all too accurate–just ask anyone trying to log onto the Obamacare website.

Unfortunately, this accommodation was provided only for Big Businesses.  ATR believes that individuals, small businesses, and families deserve at least the same reprieve from Obamacare’s costly mandates.  If the employer mandate can be delayed a year, so can (and should) the individual mandate, which adversely affects individuals, families and small business owners.

S. 1488 does two important things: first, it gives Congressional assent to the delay in the employer mandate, something which is necessary to prevent an imperial executive from changing laws at will.  Second, the bill creates a parallel one year mandate holiday for families and small business owners. 

S. 1488 currently has 43 co-sponsors.  All senators who want to protect families from Obamacare's failures and at the same time restore the rule of law should consider joining them.