The Home Office Tax Deduction, low-cost office supplies, expert business and tax advice plus health insurance you can actually afford – these are just a few of the victories the Alliance for Affordable Services has won on behalf of small-business owners and individuals just like you.
Need a friend on Capitol Hill? The Alliance is your champion and has been since the very beginning when it was created in 1981.
Listening to the needs of entrepreneurs from across the country, the Alliance spent its formative years defining the types of benefits to offer its
members including hospitalization, discount pharmacy services and coverage for heart attacks, accidents or disability. When
members of the young organization had a growing need for information about health care issues, the Alliance responded with its first newsletter, Health Matters in 1990.
The organization grew and went through many changes before becoming the powerhouse it is today, and in 1989, the Alliance adopted its current name and structure.
In 2004, the Alliance further sharpened its focus on the following Purpose, Mission and Goals:
Purpose:
The purpose of the Alliance for Affordable Services is to provide a variety of business, lifestyle and health care benefits for
members.
Goals:
Inform and educate members on Wellness programs that focus on attitude, nutrition and activity.
Act as a clearinghouse and center for information on wise medical practices and provide resources where members can obtain additional information.
Inform and educate members regarding legislation that supports the association's mission and goals.
Provide incentives based on research, study and analysis, to encourage our members -- and all Americans -- to take an active role in controlling their own health care costs.
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The Early 1990s:
The Alliance Strikes A Major Blow for Health Care Reform
Imagine paying even higher health insurance premiums than you do now. Without the dedicated efforts of the Alliance, this nightmare would be reality. When this potential disaster nearly struck in 1992, the Alliance, armed with overwhelming evidence, convinced the American Legislative Council that the guaranteed issue provision would actually increase insurance premiums rather than decrease them. When the group of 2,400 state legislators and private sector groups reversed its decision, the Alliance quickly established itself as a respected voice for small business.
When First Lady Hillary Clinton and Health Care Task Force Chair Ira Magaziner proposed sweeping changes to health care in 1993, the Alliance’s respected voice echoed loud and clear the concerns of small businesses. Membership skyrocketed with a dramatic 30-percent increase as entrepreneurs answered with resounding approval for the campaign against health care increases.
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The Mid 1990s:
The Alliance Wins Major Political Victories and Adds New Benefits
With every new challenge facing the self-employed, the Alliance executed a well-defined plan designed for victory. In 1994, the Alliance rallied behind small-business owners working from their homes and recruited Members of the House Ways and Means Committee to reinstate the much-needed Home-Office Tax Deduction.
In 1995, the Alliance moved swiftly to play an important role in the reinstatement of the expired insurance deduction, increasing it from 25 percent to 30 percent. Seeing the increasing activities in the nation’s Capitol, the Alliance immediately dispatched a survey to
members to discover where they stood on legislative issues and what benefits were important to them.
The successful survey fueled a very productive 1996 when the Alliance was instrumental in passing the Small Business Regulatory Act that mandated major improvements in the way federal agencies treat small businesses. The Act is hailed as perhaps the most significant legislation passed since World War II, “a small-business bill of rights.”
Ever mindful of members’ requests, the Alliance established one of its premier benefits, the annual scholarship program designed to assist
members’ dependents. Since the program’s inception in 1996 a grand total of $110,000 has been awarded to 96 deserving students.
The information age was sweeping across the country and the Alliance entered the world of cyberspace in 1996 with an impressive site on the World Wide Web. Now, 35 million computer users can access a vast array of information about health insurance issues and the many benefits offered to Alliance Members.
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The Late 1990s:
The Alliance Broadens its Benefits Package and Scores More Legislative Victories
Now an experienced defender of small business, the Alliance confidently attacked legislative issues affecting entrepreneurs and consistently looked after their welfare with a broad array of new benefits.
In 1997, the Alliance’s relentless efforts concerning the Home Office Tax Deduction resulted in a major victory. Now, entrepreneurs enjoyed the tax break they deserved.
Not completely satisfied with the deduction for health insurance premiums, the Alliance vigorously renewed its fight, the result: a 100-percent phase-in by 2007. However, the Alliance didn’t stop there. In 1998, its tireless efforts on this key issue caused Congress to accelerate the program with the deduction reaching 100 percent in 2003.
As small businesses flourished in the wake of these legislative victories, their needs grew beyond health care and tax reform, and the Alliance benefit package diversified to meet these needs. In 1998, the Alliance offered quality service in the areas of business resources, health programs, travel discounts, gifts, entertainment and education. The flagship publication evolved from a newsletter to an impressive, four-color, 12-page magazine with comprehensive articles about business practices, tips and trends, health care news and benefit information.
With its stellar array of member benefits and glowing success on legislative issues, the Alliance membership grew to more than 60,000 by 1999. The next giant in its path was Social Security Reform and the Alliance enthusiastically pushed for private investment options.
With the dawn of a new Millennium, the Alliance voice still thunders on Capitol Hill, ready to champion the old and new issues of small businesses from coast-to-coast. The Alliance still remains dedicated to its mission as evidenced by its die-hard legislative efforts, its informative four-color magazine and its constant addition of quality benefits that make professional and personal life easier for its
members who embrace the entrepreneurial spirit.
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The Early 2000s:
The Alliance Membership Grows and Communication Efforts Thrive
Affirmed as an advocate for small businesses, the Alliance continued to strive for health care and tax improvement. In 2000, the Internal Revenue Service increased the threshold for filing monthly employment taxes from $1,000 to $2,500, making it possible for approximately 1 million small businesses to file quarterly rather than monthly.
The Economic Growth and Tax Relief Reconciliation Act of 2001 passed, ticking off another success on the Alliance charts. The act lowered marginal estate tax rates, increased the federal estate tax exclusion, increased the annual contribution limit for traditional and Roth IRAs, and made it easier for Alliance Members to invest more money in their businesses and in their futures.
Throughout 2002, the Alliance continued work to forge solid, lasting relationships with key coalitions in Washington, D.C. In fact, the Association introduced the Alliance Advocacy Report, which featured news on the latest issues and pending legislation.
As membership in the Alliance grew, the Association worked to meet the communication needs of a growing force of small-business owners and the self-employed. The Alliance Advance e-newsletter was introduced in 2003 as a means to produce information quickly and conveniently to members.
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The Mid 2000s:
The Alliance Supports the Future of Tomorrow and Promotes Advocacy Action
Advocacy efforts continued in 2004 with the Alliance supporting the Childhood Obesity Reduction Act. Noticing the growing trend of obesity in the United States, the Alliance boosted efforts to improve the situation, starting with children. The act would recognize schools that voluntarily implemented plans to increase physical activity and promoted healthy nutritional choices. Support of the act prompted a grassroots campaign for members to urge their state legislators to encourage the bill.
Continuing the work of supporting the future of tomorrow in 2005, the Alliance awarded 66 scholars a total of $105,000 to attend the college of their choice. That was more than had ever been given before! In fact, the Association also awarded the first Alliance Outstanding Scholar Award to a college graduate who exceeded above the rest.
The Association also formed the Alliance Action Team in 2005 to promote members to take action on Capitol Hill against increasing health care costs. Since Alliance Members feel the everyday pressures created by spiraling health care issues, they have the loudest voices in Washington, D.C. The success of member participation was proven when the team reached 500 members by the end of the year.
The first thing the Alliance Action Team supported was the Health Care Choice Act, which would give consumers the opportunity to choose the health insurance policy best for them by allowing insurance companies to sell policies across state lines, while maintaining important consumer protections. The act passed the House in 2005, but it needed final votes entering 2006 to move into action.
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