On Wednesday, the National Restaurant Association says it was encouraged by the House Republican initiative aimed at commonsense reforms to the American health system with patient-centered solutions and more choices while lowering costs and promoting innovation.

“A Better Way proposal on health care is a welcome policy agenda tackling some of the biggest challenges for employers and employees under the Affordable Care Act.  Restaurants, both big and small, continue to struggle to implement employer mandate provisions like those that place limits on employees’ hours, requires extensive paperwork, and establishes an onerous reporting process.  Any relief from the employer mandate will empower the economic engine driven by America’s restaurant industry. We look forward to working with Congress as these proposals develop,” says Robin Goracke, director of Health Care Policy for the National Restaurant Association.

The National Restaurant Association has long advocated for commonsense changes to the current health care law such as the problematic definition of full-time employment at 30 hours, the lack of clarity on employer-reporting requirements, the auto-enrollment mandate affecting employers of 200 or more, inconsistent definitions of seasonal employment under the law, and the confusing process of determining which businesses are considered large under the ACA. The Association says it sees the task force’s initiative as a step in the right direction.