43
Ohio’s two U.S. senators introduce bill to help retired Delphi salaried retirees
YOUNGSTOWN
U.S. Sens. Sherrod Brown and Rob Portman introduced a bill to extend the Health Coverage Tax Credit to help retired Delphi salaried retirees.
“Delphi retirees and their families rely on the Health Care Tax Credit as a bridge to affordable health coverage,” said Brown, a Democrat from Cleveland. “This bill would provide relief for the thousands of Delphi workers and their families who have been forced to wait too long. This is an issue that cannot wait.”
This bill would extend the HCTC for five years, along with retroactively covering the workers since the HCTC lapsed in January 2014.
There are about 20,000 Delphi retirees, including 5,000 in Ohio with about 1,500 in the Mahoning Valley.
“Thousands of Delphi salaried retirees and their families depend on the Health Coverage Tax Credit,” said Portman, a Republican from the Cincinnati area. “Our bill will help these hard-working families regain the financial security that was lost through no fault of their own.”
U.S. Reps. Tim Ryan of Howland, D-13th, and Mike Turner of the Dayton area introduced a similar bill in the House.
“It is critical that we pass this legislation and ensure that they receive the affordable coverage they deserve. We cannot leave these hardworking Americans behind,” Ryan said.
The four members of Congress have attempted to get this benefit restored a number of times without success.
The HCTC helps trade-affected workers, certain groups of retirees and their families purchase private health coverage to replace the employer-sponsored coverage they lost. It makes health insurance more affordable by providing a 72.5 percent refundable tax credit to eligible workers enrolled in a qualified health plan, allowing these people to pay only a portion of their qualified health insurance.