Government Affairs

NABIP Iowa represents all members with one unified and strong voice. On-going legislative and agency lobbying, a top priority of our Association will be designed to educate those who regulate our industry.

Schedule August Recess Appointments with Your Legislators

Now is the time to get on the calendars of your representative and senators to talk with them about our legislative priorities. The annual Congressional summer recess is just a few weeks away, with the House scheduled to take a recess from August 1 through September 6 and the Senate currently planning for a recess from August 8 through September 5. This is a prime time to meet with your federal legislators and help guide the next wave of healthcare-reform legislation. NABIP encourages you to work with your local chapter on scheduling meetings with lawmakers during this time.

NABIP's talking points for this summer are focused on the issue of employer reporting and in support of the Commonsense Reporting Act of 2021 (S. 3673/H.R. 7774). The reporting requirements were finalized in March 2014 by the Treasury Department and IRS; they detail what health plan information employers are required to report to the federal government annually for enforcement of the ACA’s individual and employer mandates. NABIP has repeatedly stressed concerns with these requirements, particularly their confusing and complicated nature for businesses of all sizes. We have worked with legislators to develop a common-sense solution to ease what has become an enormously expensive compliance burden. You can access our talking points directly by clicking here or by going to NABIP.org and clicking on “Advocacy” then “Legislative Issues.”

The Commonsense Reporting Act will provide much-needed relief for employers seeking to comply with the reporting requirements under section 6055 and 6056 for enforcement of the ACA's individual and employer mandates. After several years of lobbying on this issue, NABIP has made employer reporting the focal point of this summer’s legislative priorities in order to finally get this bipartisan bill passed.

In addition to the clear benefits of reforming the employer reporting system, we believe the bill’s passage is crucial to the administration’s recently proposed rule to fix the ACA “family glitch.” The Commonsense Reporting Act would ensure that only those individuals who do not have an “affordable” offer of coverage from an employer receive a tax credit. Currently, HHS, IRS and DOL rely on employer data reported after the plan year to reconcile whether an individual appropriately received a subsidy. The IRS then seeks to recoup any access in subsidy that was distributed through an increase in taxes to the individual. However, if f employers were to report at the beginning of the plan year what they are offering to employees, their spouses and dependents so that the IRS would know before distributing a subsidy whether the individual has an affordable offer of coverage from an employer.

While NABIP lobbies on behalf of agents and brokers on a daily basis, often the most important conversations come directly from constituents talking about what is happening to their friends, family, clients and coworkers on a daily basis. And unlike meetings in Washington DC, which you’re able to do during our annual Capitol Conference, and which NABIP staff does regularly throughout the year, the summer recess and district work periods provide the opportunity for more informal and intimate conversations. As health insurance agents and brokers, you have an unparalleled window into what is happening all over your Congressional district and state. Members of Congress want to hear from you as they consider the latest proposals for the healthcare industry.

If you or your chapter has not already scheduled a meeting with your members of Congress, we encourage you to do so. The first step is to reach out to your local chapter’s legislative chair and ask if any meetings are already scheduled or in the works. If not, work with your chapter’s legislative chair and fellow members to get a meeting on the calendar. The best way to schedule a meeting with your members of Congress is to call their district office and speak with the scheduler.

State Legislative Links
Iowa Legislature
State Action Center - Find your State Legislator
Iowa Insurance Division

Federal Legislative Links
NABIP Key Issues
NABIP Federal Action Center – Keep up to date on all the legislation
Compliance Corner – Need help with a compliance question?
Podcasts – Quick audio updates on the most important issues
Broker to Broker (B2B) – This is a great resource to work with agent and brokers across the country
NABIP Home – Looking for your Federal Legislators

For more information – please contact us at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.