Small businesses have struggled with the rising cost of health insurance for years. The Trump administration may soon give them a meaningful way to fight back.
The Labor Department has submitted a proposed rule to the White House that would establish new pathways for groups of employers to band together and sponsor association health plans, or AHPs. By combining workers from many firms, AHPs can give small businesses the scale, bargaining power and benefits-management sophistication that large employers already possess.
The timing could hardly be better. Ninety-four percent of Americans say the president and Congress should act on healthcare costs. And 79% of likely voters in nine Senate battleground states say healthcare costs will be very important to their vote.
