Americans for Tax Reform President Grover Norquist sent the following letter to Congresswoman Diane Black (R-Tennessee), Member of the Committee on Ways and Means:

 
On behalf of Americans for Tax Reform, I am pleased to support H.R. 6299, which will establish Association Health Plans that offer businesses and consumers simpler, more affordable options for quality insurance coverage.
 
Association Health Plans (AHPs) offer a number of advantages that other solutions, such as the faulty Consumer Operated and Oriented Plan (CO-OP) created in Obamacare and repealed in this bill, simply cannot. Under an AHP, small businesses are permitted to self-insure and purchase insurance in ways that are currently only available to larger corporations. Some of these methods would allow small businesses to avoid costly and cumbersome government regulations that drive up the cost of insurance for both owners and employees. 
 
Unsurprisingly, research has shown that AHPs provide quality healthcare coverage while also boasting lower administrative costs than conventional small insurance plans and Medicaid. Additionally, while plans like Obama’s CO-OP are rife with government oversight and intervention, AHPs are private plans that work within the existing market with insurers familiar with the intricacies involved. 
 
AHPs have long been viewed as having the potential to improve the healthcare system. The House has passed bills aimed at implementing them in multiple Congresses going as far back as 2003. The Senate, however, has consistently failed to pass a similar bill and allow AHPs to become a reality. 
 
Both parties recognize the need for reform in the healthcare industry. Yet government run plans such as CO-OP are neither effective nor financially sound. AHPs offer sustainable private sector solutions that will make affordable, comprehensive health insurance a reality for small business owners, their employees, and their families. We urge members of Congress to support these solutions and endorse H.R. 6299.