# What This Bill Does

Congress is trying to block a new rule from the Department of Labor that changed how "association health plans" work. Association health plans are group health insurance plans that allow small businesses, self-employed people, and other organizations to band together to buy health insurance as a larger group, which typically means lower costs and more options than buying individual plans.

The Department of Labor issued a new rule in April 2024 that changed the definition of who counts as an "employer" for these association plans. This change would have made it easier for more types of groups to form these plans and potentially expanded who could participate in them. However, some members of Congress believe this rule goes too far or creates problems, so they introduced this joint resolution to reject it entirely. If this bill passes both the House and Senate, the new rule would be cancelled and wouldn't take effect.

Who this affects depends on your situation. If you're a small business owner, self-employed, or part of a professional association looking for affordable health insurance options, this matters to you. The rule change would have potentially given you more ways to access group health plans at lower rates. By blocking the rule, this bill keeps the old definition in place, which means fewer options for these types of group plans. On the flip side, some argue the original rule could have allowed plans to operate with fewer protections for workers, so blocking it might protect employees from inadequate coverage. The practical impact comes down to whether you believe expanding these group plan options helps small businesses and workers save money, or whether you think the old rules better protect people's health insurance coverage.

Providing for congressional disapproval under chapter 8 of title 5, United States Code, of the rule submitted by the Department of Labor relating to "Definition of 'Employer'-Association Health Plans".