National Coalition on Benefits

Background

The Chamber is co-chairing advocacy efforts for the National Coalition on Benefits (NCB), a coalition dedicated to working with Congress to maintain employers' ability to provide uniform health and retirement benefits to employees and retirees across state and local lines and to ensure that federal health reform initiatives preserve Employee Retirement Income Security Act (ERISA) benefits. Over  a hundred million Americans have health, retirement and other valuable benefits voluntarily provided by their employer under a nationally uniform framework established by the 1974 Employee Retirement Income Security Act. The central element of the ERISA framework is that employers can maintain uniform national benefit plans because ERISA preempts states from imposing regulations on employer-sponsored benefit plans.  Because of national uniformity under ERISA, employers are able to provide the same benefits on a nationwide basis, regulated by the federal Department of Labor. Employees benefit through lower cost sharing, comprehensive plans, and the ability to keep the same health care benefits even if they transfer to another of their employer's facilities in another state. The NCB strongly supports ERISA as the very backbone of the employer-based health care system and opposes efforts to undercut ERISA through waivers or expansion of liability.

U.S. Chamber Position

The Chamber is dedicated to ensuring that American businesses can continue to provide valuable health benefits to their employees and retirees.

We urge you to visit the National Coalition on Benefits website for more information and to join the Coalition's efforts. www.coalitiononbenefits.org/