ILMA Compoundings March 2018 - 3

BOARD OF DIRECTORS
President
Dave Croghan
Maxum Petroleum

Ann Ball
CIMCOOL Industrial
Products LLC

Vice President
Barbara Kudis
Allegheny Petroleum
Products Co.

Barbara A. Bellanti
Battenfeld Grease &
Oil Corporation of N.Y.

Treasurer
Charles Decker
American Oil &
Supply International, LLC
Secretary
Scott A. Schwindaman
Lubrication Engineers, Inc.
Immediate Past President
Beth Ann Jones
Hangsterfer's Laboratories, Inc.

Michael Damiani
Radco Industries, Inc.
Lon Fanning
DuBois Chemicals

Healthcare Relief Ahead?

Jarrett Flegel
Boss Lubricants

States, Trump administration seek solutions

Catharine T. Golden
Etna Products, Inc.

Frank H. Hamilton III
South Atlantic Services, Inc.
Greg Julian
Advanced Lubrication
Specialties
Kent Morris
Pinnacle Oil, Inc.
Ronald M. Powell
Moroil Technologies

STAFF
Chief Executive Officer
Holly Alfano
Associate Director
Martha F. Jolkovski
Director of
Communications
Brenda Gillinson, CAE
Member Services/
Marketing Manager
Tim Mack

Communications
Manager
Amber Lopez
Membership Coordinator
Meg Thaxton
Accounting Manager
Margaret Smith
General Counsel
Jeffrey L. Leiter

EDITORIAL, DESIGN
Contributing Editor
Brenda Gillinson, CAE

Designer
Mark St. Amand

THE YGS GROUP
Editorial Director
Annette Gray

Copy Editor
Amanda Holahan

Senior Editor
Drew Bankert

Account Director
Tina Enck

Managing Editor
Sam Hoffmeister

MEDIA SALES
VP, Media Sales
Susan Welter
Media Sales Director
Stephanie Harkins

LETTER FROM THE CEO

Advertising Account
Executive
Tima Good
tima.good@theygsgroup.com

INDEPENDENT LUBRICANT
MANUFACTURERS ASSOCIATION
P.O. Box 709, Alexandria, VA 22313
Phone: 703-684-5574 * Fax: 703-836-8503 * www.ilma.org
Editorial, Design, Media Sales, & Printed by The YGS Group
800-501-9571 * www.theygsgroup.com
Compoundings (USPS 003-447) is published monthly by the
Independent Lubricant Manufacturers Association,
P.O. Box 709, Alexandria, VA 22313.
Annual subscriptions: Members, $75 of annual dues;
nonmembers, $185. Periodicals postage paid at Alexandria, VA
and additional mailing offices.
ISSN 1042-508X
POSTMASTER: send address changes to
Compoundings, P.O. Box 709, Alexandria, VA 22313.
© 2018 Independent Lubricant Manufacturers Association.
All Rights Reserved.
ILMA is pleased to present a variety of viewpoints in Compoundings magazine. Readers should keep in mind that bylined articles
represent the views of the named author or authors and not
necessarily the opinions, viewpoints or positions of ILMA

he results of ILMA's Advocacy Survey are in, and once again, the top concern
among ILMA's manufacturing members is health care. It's no wonder, as the
cost of providing health care for employees under the mandates of the Affordable Care Act (ACA) continues to skyrocket, with little relief in sight.
ILMA members are not the only ones struggling with the costs of health care.
Consumers on the individual market are increasingly finding monthly premiums,
even for high-deductible plans, unaffordable. One state is attempting to address
affordability. In February, the Idaho Department of Insurance announced it was
developing its own "state-based" plan in an attempt to find lower-cost options for
consumers. To make the alternative plans affordable, Blue Cross - which is developing the plans for Idaho - proposed a maximum benefits payout of $1 million
per person annually. Critics challenge the legality of the alternative plans. Under
the ACA, insurance plans aren't allowed to limit the total coverage.
The proposed Idaho program offers lower rates for healthy individuals, which
also may violate the ACA, as some interpret the move as increasing costs for people
with pre-existing conditions.
How will the federal government respond? So far, Health and Human Services
Secretary Alex Azar has declined to take a position until the state's insurance regulatory agency approves the plans.
As we all know, Congressional Republicans tried repeatedly to "repeal and replace"
last year, without success. However, in addition to the action in Idaho, the Trump administration is tinkering with the ACA, which may bring some relief down the road.
Following an executive order signed by the president last year, the Department
of Labor (DOL) proposed a rule that will allow small businesses to band together
and purchase "association health plans" without the regulatory burdens that the
ACA imposes on smaller employers. The rule modifies the definition of "employer" to allow businesses to join together under a "commonality of interest" to offer
health care plans to employees.
According to the DOL, "The proposed rule, which applies only to employer-sponsored health insurance, would allow businesses to join together as a single
group to purchase insurance in the large group market. These improvements stand
to open health insurance coverage for millions of Americans and their families by
making it more affordable for thousands of small businesses and sole proprietors.
By joining together, employers may reduce administrative costs through economies of scale, strengthen their bargaining position to obtain more favorable deals,
enhance their ability to self-insure, and offer a wider array of insurance options."
As the DOL proposal moves forward, ILMA will be providing supportive comments to the agency. The DOL notes that up to 11 million Americans working for
small businesses lack employer-provided health insurance because of cost. Small
business association health plans could provide an affordable alternative.

Holly Alfano
Chief Executive Officer

http://www.ilma.org http://www.theygsgroup.com

ILMA Compoundings March 2018

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