mr. speaker , i rise today in support of h.r. 525 .  this bill , introduced by the employer-employee relations subcommittee chairman sam johnson , committee chairman john boehner , small business committee ranking member nydia velazquez and albert wynn , would allow small businesses to join together through association health plans , ahps , to purchase health insurance for their workers at a lower cost .  the measure would increase small businesses ' bargaining power with health care providers , give them freedom from costly state-mandated benefit packages , and lower their overhead costs by as much as 30 percent .  this is a benefit that many large corporations like gm and ford already enjoy because of their larger economies of scale .  furthermore , this bill expressly prohibits discrimination by requiring that all employers who are association members are eligible for participation , all geographically available coverage options are made available upon request to eligible employers , and eligible individuals can not be excluded from enrolling because of health status .  premium contribution rates for any particular small employer can not be based on the health status or claims experience of plan participants or beneficiaries or on the type of business or industry in which the employer is engaged .  the measure makes clear that ahps must comply with the health insurance portability and accountability act , hipaa , which prohibits group health plans from excluding high-risk individuals with high claims experience .  thus , it will not be possible for ahps to `` cherry pick '' because sick or high risk-groups or individuals can not be denied coverage .  the bill prohibits ahps from charging higher rates for sicker individuals or groups within the plan , except to the extent already allowed under the relevant state rating law .  while i support all of these positive aspects of the bill , i do have concerns with other areas .  due to this fact , i also stand today to support the kind/andrews substitute .  this substitute would strengthen the larger goal of the legislation which is to lower health care cost for workers .  the substitute does this by providing small employers the same access to health benefits as federal employees .  under the substitute , the department of labor will establish a small employer health benefits plan , sehb , similar to the federal employees health benefits plan , fehb .  the states also may establish state small employer health pools .  in addition , the substitute offers coverage to all small employers and their employees .  in essence , all employers with fewer than 100 employees during the previous calendar year shall be eligible to apply for coverage under sehb .  employers must offer coverage to all employees who have completed 3 months of service .  employees working less than full-time are eligible for pro rata coverage .  furthermore , the substitute also minimizes adverse selection .  this is done by requiring the secretary to establish an initial open enrollment period and thereafter an annual enrollment period .  one of the most important things achieved by the substitute is the fact that is uses state-licensed insurers without preempting state laws .  it also provides a minimum benefit package similar to federal employees , i.e. , all participating insurers must offer benefits similar to the benefits offered under the four largest fehb health plans .  as i close , i would hope that the differences i have mentioned are reconciled as this bill moves to conference .  