NRF cheers step toward affordable health care options for small businesses with association health plan rules.

The National Retail Federation (NRF) has issued the following statement from Senior Vice President for Government Relations David French after the Department of Labor finalized regulations that would help expand retailers’ access to affordable health insurance through association health plans.

“We’ve been advocating for association health plans for almost 20 years, and we’re pleased to see the department moving aggressively forward. This is an important step toward expanding affordable health care options for small businesses and lowering costs for their employees. We will carefully review the final rules and stand ready to work with the department to help make association health plans a reality for small retailers nationwide.”

NRF has long supported efforts to establish national-level AHPs, and also supports the Small Business Health Fairness Act – AHP legislation that passed the House in March 2017 but has yet to see action in the Senate.