Attorney General Chris Carr led a coalition of 14 states in sending a letter to Department of Labor Secretary Alexander Acosta, applauding the Department’s Notice of Proposed Rulemaking which aims to allow for more small businesses to become eligible to participate in Association Health Plans.

“In an uncertain legal and regulatory environment where healthcare costs continue to rise and choices are limited, Americans need more options and predictability for affordable healthcare,” said Attorney General Chris Carr. “We applaud the Department of Labor’s efforts in seeking to allow eligible small businesses the ability to join together to offer more affordable, quality health insurance for the hardworking employees in our states.”

Federal regulations currently require that members of AHPs be in the same industry and that they be involved in the day-to-day decision-making of a business. Only about one-half of small businesses offer employer-sponsored health insurance, leaving approximately 11 million employees of small businesses without this type of coverage. The coalition believes that the proposed rule, by broadening the types of small businesses that would be eligible to join AHPs, would provide more affordable healthcare coverage options to small business employees.

Georgia Attorney General Chris Carr and South Carolina Attorney General Alan Wilson led the coalition with the support of the following states: Alabama, Arkansas, Colorado, Florida, Indiana, Kansas, Louisiana, Missouri, Nevada, Oklahoma, South Dakota and Wisconsin.