WASHINGTON – Arizona senior Senator Kyrsten Sinema joined Republican Senators John Barrasso and Cory Gardner today in introducing a bill to repeal the Health Insurance Tax (HIT).
This repeal is based on legislation Sinema championed while in the House of Representatives and will spare Arizona families a nearly $500 annual increase in health insurance premiums.
“This tax raises costs for Arizona families and businesses,” said Sinema. “I’m proud to work across party lines to end this harmful tax and make healthcare more affordable for Arizonans.”
“Lowering health insurance costs for Arizona job creators and families must be a priority for our representatives in Congress. We applaud Senator Sinema for making one of her first actions in the U.S. Senate to sponsor legislation that would provide Americans with permanent, long-term relief from the health insurance tax,” said R.J. Orr, Executive Vice President and partner at bluemedia, an Arizona business based in Tempe.
Legislation Sinema introduced in the House that delayed the implementation of the HIT passed with bipartisan support in 2018. Her work also successfully delayed the HIT in 2017 and 2019. Sinema has been a leader in protecting Arizona consumers from the HIT since 2013.
The HIT is a direct tax on health insurance issuers providing coverage to individuals, seniors, families, and businesses. According to the nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office, this tax is passed on to consumers in the form of higher premiums. Small businesses, which are especially vulnerable to increased costs due to the HIT, provide jobs to over 1 million workers in Arizona.