NAHB opposition to the newly passed healthcare reform bill was particularly rooted in that bill’s inclusion of an onerous provision called the Merkley amendment that unfairly targeted small construction firms. In the days and weeks before the vote, NAHB aggressively targeted key House Democrats to urge them to oppose H.R. 3590 and coordinated a coalition of construction organizations and supplier groups to oppose the language and insist that it be stripped from the legislation. In addition to opening a booth on the show floor at the International Builders’ Show where industry members could contact Congress in opposition to this provision, we also sent out an all-member alert urging our grassroots to call their Representatives and insist that they oppose H.R. 3590 because of the unfair Merkley language. That language would have required construction firms with more than five employees to provide healthcare coverage, while small employers in every other industry would have been exempted from mandatory coverage if they employ 50 workers or less. On the day of the actual vote, NAHB sent a letter to every member of Congress designating a vote in opposition to H.R. 3590 as a key vote “given the detrimental impact H.R. 3590 would have on the home building industry.”
Although the original bill did pass with the Merkley language included and was signed into law two days later, the House and Senate began immediate consideration of a reconciliation package (H.R. 4872) that included language secured by NAHB that effectively eliminates the Merkley provision in the new health care law. The reconciliation package was approved late in the evening on March 25 and is expected be signed by the President soon. Although NAHB remains concerned about other provisions contained in the new health care law, the removal of the Merkley provision’s direct attack on the construction industry is a good development in an otherwise highly politicized and controversial piece of legislation. Going forward, a thorough analysis of the new law’s impacts on NAHB members will be forthcoming soon; also stay tuned for a more complete update in Nation’s Building News and at the upcoming Spring Board of Directors Meeting. Send questions to MondayMorningQuestions@nahb.org
