Press release

Arizona Technology Council Supports Gov. Doug Ducey’s Signing Bill Enabling Affordable Health Coverage for Small Businesses

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Gov. Doug Ducey signed legislation to give small businesses better
access to health coverage on May 8, 2019. The Arizona
Technology Council
, along with a group of local associations and
business leaders, were able to successfully lobby support for the bill
introduced by State Sen. Kate Brophy McGee, SB1085.
This legislation enables tens of thousands of Arizonans to obtain
quality and affordable health coverage by providing a new pathway for
employer groups and associations to offer fully insured and self-insured
Association Health Plans (AHPs).

The Arizona Technology Council appreciates Sen. Brophy McGee for her
leadership on this issue. Providing affordable, quality health insurance
options to small businesses, sole proprietors and their employees should
not be a partisan issue and the Council would like to thank the
following Democratic representatives and senators for crossing the line
to support this option for affordable, quality healthcare.

  • Rep. Alma Hernandez
  • Rep. César Chávez
  • Rep. Daniel Hernandez
  • Rep. Diego Espinoza
  • Rep. Jennifer Pawlik
  • Rep. Robert Meza
  • Rep. Arlando Teller
  • Sen. Sean Bowie
  • Sen. David Bradley
  • Sen. Tony Navarrete
  • Sen. Jamescita Peshlakai
  • and Sen. Victoria Steele

“The rising cost of health insurance is one of the biggest challenges
facing our smaller member companies and startups,” said Steven G.
Zylstra, the Council’s president and CEO. “The signing of SB1085 is a
critical step towards overcoming this issue. The Council would like to
thank Governor Ducey, Sen. Brophy McGee, and legislators on both side of
the aisle for their support and votes to pass this legislation.”

The Council also partnered with an extensive list of professional
associations including the Arizona Association of Realtors, Arizona
Chamber of Commerce, Greater Phoenix Chamber of Commerce, Chandler
Chamber of Commerce, and others, to successfully gain support for SB1085.

Permissible by U.S. Department of Labor rules, the new Arizona
legislation allows employer groups and associations the ability to offer
either fully funded or self-insured AHPs by banding together on the
basis of geography and industry for more substantial purchasing power.
These new AHPs provide small businesses the types of coverage currently
available only to large employers, and let working owners and sole
proprietors plus their families join and experience substantial savings.

AHPs give employer groups and associations greater flexibility in
designing health insurance plans to meet the needs of their members at
lower costs. The lower costs of health insurance will lead participating
small businesses to provide more generous overall compensation packages
to their employees, a critical factor in helping technology companies
acquire talent.

Providing technology companies with better healthcare options is a key
priority of the Council. For more information on the Council’s
legislative priorities in 2019, please visit www.aztechcouncil.org/public-policy.

About the Arizona Technology Council

The Arizona Technology Council is Arizona’s premier trade association
for science and technology companies. Recognized as having a diverse
professional business community, Council members work towards furthering
the advancement of technology in Arizona through leadership, education,
legislation and social action. The Council offers numerous events,
educational forums and business conferences that bring together leaders,
visionaries and community members to make an impact on the technology
industry. These interactions contribute to the Council’s culture of
growing member businesses and transforming technology in Arizona. To
become a member or to learn more about the Arizona Technology Council,
please visit www.aztechcouncil.org.